Outbreak
by FooAndLu
Summary: All it takes is a single day to bring Water Seven to its knees. Death in the streets, hundreds missing, and an influx of...animals on the loose? When Charlotte Katakuri adopts an injured kitten, little does he know that he's taken in one of the main targets of the chaos and must protect him from the schemes of evil mob bosses and fight to keep him in his care.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Greetings readers! Thanks for checking out this story! We're Foo and Lu and this is our first story on this site.  
We both really love One Piece and decided to create this after an...interesting night of Forensic Files and Lone Star Law.  
Basically, this is going to be a rollercoaster of a story so buckle up and get ready for a ride!

Comments and constructive criticism welcome.  
Obviously, we do not own One Piece.

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

"Zeehahahaha, everything is going perfectly!" Teach exclaimed, watching as the hired hands prepared for their mission, the next step in his plan.

"By this time tomorrow, the entire city will be in chaos," Burgess laughed, "that drug your pet scientist created is all it will take."

"I AM NO PET!" the man in question yelled, "I AM CAESAR CLOWN THE GREATEST SCIENTIST IN THE WORLD! WHEN JOKER FINDS OUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE HE'LL-"

"He'll what? I'm not afraid of the old bird!" Teach cackled, "Still, I'm impressed with this concoction of yours! It's just what I needed for my plans to work...though I wish it was a bit more...predictable…" The scientist scoffed,

"YOU DARE! You asked, NO, DEMANDED a drug that is unlike anything this world has ever seen! Do you realize how difficult it is to turn humans into animals? YET I HAVE DONE IT! AND YOU COMPLAIN THAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT?" Caesar shouted, "DO NOT MOCK MY MASTERPIECE!"

"Zeehahahaha, as long as it works!" he turned to Burgess, the scientist no longer holding his interest, "Are the main extraction teams ready?"

"Yes, Sir. All are prepped and ready to go."

Teach turned and surveyed his chosen teams, ranging from two to fifteen people for each intended target.

"Zeehahaha, Team Alpha assigned to get old Don Quixote himself, his capture is the most important. Be careful, he's past his prime but dangerous. Team Beta, you'll be facing Dogtooth...good luck...you're the largest group but you'll be in the most danger. Team Charlie, you're headed for the police headquarters to take out that troublesome pair of detectives that take out any gang they get their teeth into. Team Delta, you're after Portgas' kid brother, he's not going to be killed by the drug, not with the blood that's in him, so make sure you catch him.

All teams, if the target dies, leave the body and get out of there. If they aren't affected at all, leave them be. Deal with any conflicts that may arise as quickly and quietly as possible."

"You heard the man! Move out!" Burgess ordered, then watched alongside his boss as the teams flew into action.

"Soon, this city will be mine." Teach muttered, "All the money...power...protection from that old man...Newgate won't be able to touch me! After this, it won't matter how much hatred he holds for me, I'll be invincible!"


	2. Chapter One

**HINA'S POV**

" _Hina is tired."_ the pink haired detective thought grumpily, " _this day has been far too long."_

"Detective Hina, here's the file for the Condoriano case." an intern said, plopping the large folder on her desk,

"Are you ever going home? You _do_ realize that it's almost midnight?" Smoker asked, walking past on his way to his own desk.

"You're one to talk, Chase." Hina replied. The man groaned,

"Don't call me that."

"Your name? Hina will call you whatever she wants." she replied smugly, knowing he couldn't retaliate.

"...I've got your mail, Ma'm." the intern said, holding out the letter. Smoker frowned,

"It's midnight," he pointed out,

"Maybe I didn't see it earlier when I got your mail for the first time?" the intern replied sheepishly, "I can't think of any other reason for it to be there…"

Hina took the plain white envelope and studied it for a moment,

"Seems normal enough. Don't be so careless, Intern." she opened it quickly and was instantly coughing as white powder flew up into her face.

"Prank mail?" Smoker asked, "It's been awhile since we've had an- Oi, Hina!" the man stared in shock as his partner collapsed and lay, motionless, on the floor. "You, call for an ambulance!" he ordered, rushing to check Hina's vitals.

"Yes, Sir!"

"She still has a pulse…" the man muttered, "but it's faint. Stay with me, Partner."

* * *

 _ **UNKNOWN POV**_

"Team Charlie reporting. Target one down and unresponsive. Target two out of range and on high alert." The intern put away his radio and turned, heading back inside to help his superiors, trying his best to keep the smug smirk off his face.

* * *

 **KATAKURI POV**

Katakuri glared at his hostage, not that the younger man could see him as he hung by his arms, the tips of his toes barely able to touch the ground, blood dripping into his eyes.

"You honestly thought you could get away with this, huh?" he growled, "Snooping around in _my_ territory? Perhaps your boss has gotten a bit too cocky." he lashed out again, the spikes on his gloves digging deep into the flesh of his recently acquired punching bag.

"Th' Young Maste-"

"Can't reach you here." Katakuri finished for the young man, "Honestly, I had heard you were fast, _Dellinger,_ but you're much too obvious to be sneaking around."

"I won't tell you anything!" Dellinger shouted, though, rather than the anger he had hoped for, his captor's response was a low chuckle, as he reached out and grabbed him by the throat,

"I don't need information from you." he informed him, "you'll serve as a message, one that I think I'll send back in pieces." Dellinger's eyes widened as he saw Katakuri's other hand reaching for what seemed to be a large trident, leaning against the nearby wall. "I'm going to enjoy thi-"

"BROTHER!" the door slammed against the wall as it flew open to reveal Cracker, thoroughly ruining Katakuri's mood. He sighed,

"This had better be important, Cracker, I was just getting to the best part."

"Ah, sorry." he..didn't really look sorry as he kept talking anyway, "it's time for dinner, Brulee says she'll be upset if you're late again."

"Very well, I'm coming." he turned to Dellinger, "I'll finish with you after supper. I would invite you to join us if you weren't...otherwise occupied."

Dellinger glared at the man's back as he took his trident and left, though he did wonder why he needed such a weapon for that…

 _-twenty minutes later-_

"Brulee, you've outdone yourself. This is delicious." Katakuri said,

"I hope you didn't get any blood in your meal. It would completely throw off the balance of the flavors." his sister answered.

"Of course not, I know better than that." he replied, "I really didn't get too far into playing with him before Cracker interrupted anyway."

"Why do you always insist on interrogating the prisoners yourself?! Why won't you let me do it sometimes?!" Cracker whined,

"I'm the head-"

"Yes! You're the head of the Charlotte house here, so _you_ should do the boring stuff and look scary and let _me_ have some fun!"

"...If I let you do that, Little Brother, we would never get any useful information. You lack restraint and can't tell if even a child is lying to you." Katakuri responded calmly, "Besides, I _do_ take care of the boring stuff, interrogating people is stress relief."

"I have a report." Mont D'Or said, walking in and doing his best to ignore Brulee's glare.

"Sit and tell me as you eat." Katakuri ordered, "You're late."

"We have searched the rest of the property." Mont D'Or said as he obeyed, "But it seems that the rat you caught was the only one of Joker's men that stuck around."

"...the nerve of that man…" Katakuri growled, absentmindedly crushing the cup he held in his hand, "I'll tear him off his throne and burn his entire empire to the ground."

"Brother! I brought you something!" Flambe exclaimed, running into the room, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere, "This guy was giving out free donuts!"

"Really?" Katakuri's demeanor completely changed at the thought, though it soon returned to its usual state when he realized that what his younger sister held was not a donut, but a bagel.

"Do you love it? Do you?" Flambe asked, grinning. Katakuri swallowed back his revulsion and nodded,

"Yes, thank you, Flambe." he said, "Though, it would make me even happier if you would take that... _donut_...and throw it into the fire place."

"Okay!" the girl chirruped, rushing across the room to do as he had asked.

"...good riddance...imposter donut…" Katakuri muttered under his breath, just before Flambe said,

"Ooooh, look! It's turning pretty colors!" Her older siblings turned at once to stare at the flames that had turned from their normal red, to a purplish black.

"Get back!" Mont d'Or ordered, pulling the girl away from the fireplace.

"It seems as though someone had just attempted to assassinate me...with a bagel." Katakuri said quietly, "...I've never been so insulted in my life!"

"Now brother, perhaps you should ca-" Brulee began, only to be cut off,

"No! Cracker, gather our forces! I want these people found and destroyed!" the man ordered, picking up his trident, "Paint the streets red with their blood."

* * *

 _ **UNKNOWN POV**_

"TEAM BETA REQUESTING IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION...OR BACKUP...OR SOMETHING! WE WERE NOT PREPARED! I REPEAT, WE WERE NOT PREPARED!" the man attempted to continue yelling but found both his hand and the radio he had been using crushed in the iron grip of the feared "Dogtooth".

"I'll only ask this once." the man growled, "who sent you?!"

"Umm..uh….." the mercenary stood frozen in fear and shock, trying to find something, _anything,_ to say, not that it would have mattered much as, seconds later, he found a trident buried in his throat.

"Too slow."

* * *

 **LAW'S POV**

"How exactly did your father manage to do this?" Kidd asked, staring in horror at the burnt out husk of what was supposedly a stove.

"...toast." Law answered stoically.

"ON THE STOVE?!" came the shouted response, to which Law shrugged,

"Cora-san, does things his own way. I don't question it."

"I think you should do more than question it considering this is the SIXTH time I've been over here to fix an appliance in the last MONTH!"

"It's not my fault you're the only one your company ever sends here, Eustass-ya." Law pointed out, "and it's not like we can keep Cora-san out of the kitchen."

"The ONLY reason I'm the one that keeps getting sent over here is that the others are all too terrified of your uncle to get within a hundred feet of this place." Kidd pointed out,

"...can't say I blame them. You should work on your self-preservation instincts, Eustass-ya."

"Law." Vergo said as he walked into the room, "Doffy has called a meeting. Bring the repair guy."

"...why?" Law asked, and Vergo scowled at him,

"Don't question the young master! Show some respect!" then he stalked out of the room. Law sighed,

"Ready to meet the family, Eustass-ya?" he asked,

"...do I have a choice?"

* * *

 **DOFLAMINGO'S POV (** _ **a few minutes earlier)**_

"...Dellinger did what?" Doflamingo asked, glaring up at Diamante through his sunglasses,

"He...went to gather information on Dogtooth."

"...and?"

"..he has….not returned...and we can't reach him…" Diamante admitted,

"...and why did you not think to stop him from doing something so idiotic?" Doflamingo asked, "If I had wanted to send someone to gather information on the Charlottes, it would not have been someone as obvious as him!" Diamante held up his hand placatingly in a futile attempt to calm his boss,

"I couldn't have stopped him! He just wanted to help, after all"

"Diamante, you're dismissed. Vergo, inform Law that I wish to speak with him." Doflamingo ordered, the latter stepped forward.

"Law is currently in the kitchen with the repairman from Franky's SUPER Repairs, discussing Corazon's unfortunate incident."

"Tell him to bring the red-head. He won't say anything, not with his background."

Five minutes later, Doflamingo gestured for Law and Kidd to join him at the table and partake in the hors-d'oeuvres one of the help had delivered moments before.

"I thought you said the _whole_ family would be at this meeting?" Kidd drawled as he sat, looking at Law.

"Am I not good enough for you? Obviously, Croc's not teaching you good manners, Kiddo" Doflamingo laughed, and Law sighed,

"What do you need? You never call me unless you want me to do something for you."

"All in good time, first, let's drink to the continued repair of our...very durable kitchen!" This earned the man an unimpressed look from both of the others, though they dare not refuse. The three raised their glasses and gently tapped them together in what might have been one of the most unenthusiastic toasts ever known, before taking a drink. In the next moment, all hell broke loose.

The next few moments were kind of a blur. All Doflamingo could remember was intense pain and suddenly, everything was much larger than it had been before. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it only to come face to face with a large paw as the sound of irritated growls filled the air.

" _What the-"_

"DOFLAMINGO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Doflamingo blinked down at what seemed to be a snow leopard growling angrily at him in Law's voice. That would make the massive grizzly bear next to him, Kidd, the repairman. He immediately glared at the only other person who had been in the room, the help, who was currently trying his hardest to get out of the room through a side door, panic written on his face.

* * *

 **UNKNOWN POV**

"TEAM ALPHA INFILTRATION UNIT REPORTING IN, WE NEED BACKUP! THE SERUM WAS SUCCESSFUL, TARGET CONFIRMED TRANSFORMED. TWO UNEXPECTED VICTIMS ALSO CONFIRMED TRANSFORMED." the "help" shouted into his radio, "WE HAVE A FLAMINGO, A WILDCAT, AND A BROWN BEAR ON THE PREMISES! HEAVIER WEAPONS NECESSARY!"

* * *

 **DOFLAMINGO'S POV**

"Alright, everyone calm down!" Doflamingo ordered, turning his attention away from where the man had disappeared, "I'll just call Corazon and we'll fix this."

He reached towards his phone and froze, realizing at that moment that, instead of hands moving to pick up the device, all he saw were wings covered in bright pink feathers.

"...I'm a bird…" he said in disbelief, "...really?!"

Law made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, and Doflamingo glared at him,

"I don't want to hear another sound from you, Law!" he snapped, "WE have much bigger issues!" he turned his attention back to his phone, trying (and failing) to pick up the device with his new feathery appendages...which ended up looking like he was trying to fan the thing.

"You have a stylus, don't you?" Kidd pointed out, "just use your…" he paused a moment to try and fight back his own laugh, "beak."

Doflamingo didn't waste his time glaring at the...bear...though he did give him a few choice insults mentally as he twisted his head to pick up the stylus from where it lay. It took a few minutes, but he eventually managed to enter his password, open the correct app, and type in what he seriously hoped was his younger brother's number.

* * *

 **CROCODILE'S POV**

His personal phone ringing was a welcome break from the endless pile of reports that had been pouring in nonstop that day. It was proving more difficult to balance the illegal and legal activities than Crocodile had anticipated.

" _Should set up something like birdbrain and his brother have."_ he mused, glancing at the ringing device, " _oh, speak of the devil."_

"What do you want this time, Birdbrain? I refuse to work with you." To his surprise, the only answer he received was in the form of a loud, agitated SQUAWK.

Crocodile pulled the phone back, checked the ID, and returned it to his ear.

"Are you attempting to prank me, Birdbrain?" he drawled

"SCREEEEEECH SQUAAAAAAWK!" came the reply.

"Ah…" he was about to hang up but then the phone buzzed, requesting a video chat. He sighed and accepted, wondering if the other man was drunk or something. He froze when the video connected.

"I'll be there in fifteen."


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note**

Hey, here's chapter two! We really appreciate everyone who has already read the beginning, and everyone who has favorited and/or followed the story. Special thanks to RedClover25 and the anonymous guest that left reviews!

 **WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER**

 **\- brief animal abuse  
\- violence**

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy ran home after his last class of the day, not bothering to stop and say bye to his friends. He couldn't stop to talk, not when his big brother was in town and bringing meat for their extraordinarily late dinner. His roommate, Law, wasn't going to be there that evening, not that Luffy had told Ace that. He'd be more than happy to eat Law's portion himself.

He giggled to himself at the thought as he ran up the stairs, fishing his keys out of his pocket. It didn't matter that Ace's visit was unexpected and unexplained, he was bringing food and wanted to spend time with him, was willing to wait to eat until ten o'clock at night, that was enough, especially since they lived in different cities now.

The door flew open, slamming into the wall, as Luffy waltzed inside. (thankful that Law wasn't there to yell at him for his dramatic entrance) The nineteen-year-old was surprised to find a snack ready and waiting for him the second he entered the kitchen. He grinned and scooped up the chocolate donut, wondering if Ace had already arrived...though he had said he'd text him when he was close...before taking a big bite.

The next few moments, all Luffy knew was pain and the disorienting feeling of falling. Suddenly, the barstool next to him towered above him like a mountain, his clothes pooling around him uselessly. Confused, he attempted to untangle himself from his shirt, only to fall backward with a small squeak.

" _What just happened?"_ he wondered, trying to stand and finding that, no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't. Confusion turned briefly to relief as he heard the loud booming sounds that he assumed were footsteps.

"Ace! Help!" he tried to cry but all he heard was a tiny, "mew!"

Then the feet came into view and his relief turned to fear as he saw that whoever this person was, it wasn't his brother.

* * *

 _ **UNKNOWN POV**_

"Team Delta reporting. Krieg speaking. Target confirmed transformed. Proceeding with extraction now." He shut off his radio and chuckled darkly as he walked towards the tiny kitten, trembling and tangled in a pile of the clothes he had been wearing.

"Now now, nothing to be afraid of!" he crooned, his voice cracking at the attempt to sound sincere, "I'm gonna need you to get in this bag and then we'll go on a little trip!" He inched closer, fumbling to get the bag open. He didn't expect the ball of fur to launch itself at his face, hissing and spitting, needle-like claws out and scratching. Krieg grabbed the kitten out of the air, but fell backward over the couch in the process, unable to correct his balance as he attempted to protect his eyes from the slashing attacks. He cursed.

"Oi, Morgan! Get in here and get this thing off of me!" he shouted to his partner.

"What? Thought you said he wouldn't be any trouble?" the other man replied, stepping into the room, leaving the door wide open. The kitten saw his chance apparently, twisting to bite at the hand that was holding him suspended in air.

Krieg dropped his captive, spitting curses, and the two humans began chasing the kitten around the room, destroying anything that got in the way. Unfortunately for their target, when he decided to head for the door, he tripped over his own paws and tumbled head over heels until he came to a stop against one large black boot. A hand came down and roughly grabbed the kitten by the scruff. Krieg grinned menacingly as he lifted the creature, bringing him to eye level and shaking him roughly.

"Thought you could get away?" he laughed, grinning at the disoriented look in the kitten's eyes before he stuffed the tiny cat into the bag Morgan held open and ready. "As if you could escape!" He began walking out of the trashed apartment, grabbing the bag from the partner he didn't quite trust, lecturing all the while about how superior he was, poking at the fabric, amused...until the bag swung and a claw dug into the sensitive skin in between two fingers.

Krieg cursed and threw the bag, not quite realizing _where_ he had thrown it until Morgan gasped and shouted,

"We need him alive, you idiot!"

He had thrown the bag down the stairs, where it landed and rolled a few times, out onto the sidewalk. Both men ran after it, diving towards their prize...only to be stopped by the ominous clang of a large metal pole slamming into the ground in front of it.

"You know," growled a deep voice from above them, "I'm a firm believer that there is a special place in hell for people like you."

Krieg and Morgan froze and slowly looked up, instantly flinching away at the sight of the deadly trident, dripping with blood, and the man that held it.

"Y-you're…."

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri, as head of the family, didn't often get the chance to rampage. He'd forgotten just how fun it was. He'd taken care of almost every person that had been lurking around his territory but one had decided it was in his best interest to run for it and, well, Katakuri just couldn't resist giving chase.

After catching, and subsequently impaling him with his trident, the streets had been unusually quiet for a moment, until the sounds of a struggle split the air once again. Curious, Katakuri followed the sound to a nearby apartment complex, walking up just in time to see a strange man wearing...armor?...shake, yell at, and throw a bag that contained some sort of struggling creature. Katakuri saw red, stalking forward to plant his trident firmly in front of the scarily still bag, stopping the two men in their tracks.

"You know, I'm a firm believer that there is a special place in hell for people like you," he informed them, enjoying the terror that filled their eyes as they realized just who was standing before them.

"Y-you're…" one of them managed to get out. Katakuri smirked, not that they could see that, amused, though no less angry.

"...Dogtooth...you're...you're supposed to….why are you here?!" one gasped. _This_ caught Katakuri's attention. Perhaps these pieces of trash were in league with the ones from earlier...not that he needed any further excuse to kill them.

"HA!" The armored man shouted, leaping to his feet in a show of false bravery, "You can't kill me! I'm protected by impenetrable armor and you've got a glorified fork!" The man's comrade backed away, watching in horror as his partner continued, "I don't know why one such as yourself would stoop so low to protect useless, mangy furballs like this anyway!"

In the brief moment of silence that followed the man's taunts, the occupant of the bag that had started the encounter stirred, letting out a low, pained mewl. Katakuri didn't allow the armored man to say another word. His hand shot out and grabbed the man's unprotected face, squeezing hard enough to fracture bones as he lifted him off the pavement. From that angle, the man could clearly see the reason Katakuri wore his signature scarf, not that he would be able to tell anyone, as moments later, the dripping trident pierced through his armor as though it was paper. Katakuri dropped the corpse, twisting his trident free to face the other man.

"You...you're coming with me." he swung the handle of his weapon up and around, knocking the man unconscious instantly. Once that was dealt with, he set the weapon down and turned to the more pressing problem.

Katakuri knelt and scooped up the bag, carefully opening it to reveal the limp, trembling body of a half-conscious black kitten with odd white markings. Looking at the poor creature, he almost wished he hadn't killed the armored man quite so quickly...almost.

"Brother! We need to leave!" Cracker called as he ran up, though he paused at the odd scene before him. "Wha-"

"That one's alive. Take him back to the house." Katakuri ordered, ignoring his brother's question in favor of gently wrapping the half-dead kitten in one of the loose ends of his scarf before picking up his trident and stalking away, leaving approximately fifteen corpses in his wake.

* * *

 **UNKNOWN POV**

"Team Beta reporting. Mission failure. Team Delta one dead, one captured. Target confirmed transformed, unable to extract."

"What do you mean _unable to extract?!"_ came the angry reply to the man's whispered report, "Team Beta was the biggest and strongest team!"

"Team Beta...everyone else is dead!" the man replied, "I'm the only survivor!"

"What does this have to do with the failed capture of the brat?"

"Dogtooth...he took him from the site, along with one member of Team Delta. Target was...unconscious."

"...if only Dogtooth had been changed as well." Teach sighed, "This makes things a lot more complicated."


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note**

Once again, thank you to those who have read this story so far and a special thank you to Jui-Imouto-Chan for leaving a review!

WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER  
\- mentions of sexual assault  
\- panic...lots of panic

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Ace walked quickly down the street, carrying five bags full of food, cursing his narcolepsy for doing this at the _worst_ time and making him late for supper with his brother.

" _Lu's probably starving by now, it's almost midnight."_ he thought as he turned the corner to the familiar apartment complex. He was in such a hurry that he almost missed it...almost...the sight of a mangled corpse really was hard to miss. He dropped the bags, heart rate skyrocketing as he took in the scene. The corpse, the obvious signs of a struggle, the skid marks on the pavement. Ace's gaze swung to the stairs that led up to his brother's apartment. He couldn't see anything yet, but dread began to fill his veins. He raced forward, stopping at the foot of the stairs and trying his best not to panic as he saw the dark liquid spattered across a few of the steps.

"Luffy?" he called, though he wasn't sure why...his brother should be safe inside his apartment, unable to hear his voice. He dashed up the stairs, only to freeze in horror in front of the door that opened into the once immaculate apartment. He hardly dared to breathe as he stepped inside, if his hands were shaking he paid them no attention, staring in shock at the overturned furniture and broken glass.

"Luffy?!" he yelled, praying for an answer of some kind from where his baby brother had hidden or something in one of the other rooms. All he heard was silence. In the silence, he looked around once more, this time catching sight of a pile of familiar clothes, laying twisted and crumpled up on the floor near the kitchen. Ignoring the shards of glass, Ace knelt to scoop up the discarded clothing, trying to stay calm.

"...this...this can't be happening…" he muttered, "...Lu…." obviously, his brother had fought but...if this was the outcome…Ace took a deep breath and reached for his phone, trying to figure out who to call first. There were so many people that needed to know...Marco first, he'd help to calm the panic rising up in Ace's chest. Though the dial tone did nothing to help his anxiety as he waited.

"Ace, what's up-yoi?" Marco asked, his voice instantly helping to calm the younger man's breathing.

"MARCOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Ace sobbed, "MAAAAARRRCOOOOO! LUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"...Ace? Ace, calm down-yoi." Marco replied, concern obvious, "Breathe,"

"Ma-mar-marco! I-I can't- Lu-he's-IcameheretohavedinnerwithhimbutIwaslateandIthinkhewasrapedandkidnappedbutthere'sacorpseand-"

"ACE!" Marco snapped, "BREATHE! Slow down and start over, _slowly."_ Ace nodded, though he knew Marco couldn't see him, and took a deep breath, which helped even though he felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest any second.

"I- I came here to-to have su-supper with Lu." he began, words punctuated by stifled sobs, "Bu-but I was l-late...stupid narcolepsy….and - and, I got here and there's this- this corpse outside, and bl-blood on the stairs, and Luffy-Luffy's place is a mess...and…" he trailed off looking down at the clothes in his arms.

"Ace?"

"...He's not here, Marco." he said quietly, "He's not here but...but his...his clothes are."

Marco didn't want that to mean what he thought it meant, not at all.

"It's his apartment, Ace, you shouldn't jump to-"

"He sent me a selfie earlier…" Ace interrupted, hysteria trying to find its way back into his voice, "He was wearing this today, plus Law would never let him leave clothes lying around."

Marco fell silent for a moment before saying, "Hold on, I'm getting Pops." and Ace was left alone with his thoughts for a minute as he listened to what he assumed was the other man rushing to Pops' room. There was a large amount of jumbled conversation for a few minutes before Pops' voice came through,

"Ace? Marco told me what happened," he said, just the sound of his voice going a long way towards calming the young man's frazzled nerves.

"Pops…"

"I want you to stay there. I'm sending Marco and Thatch to assist you. Do not leave until they get there. We will do whatever it takes to find him and make those who did this pay with their lives." Pops assured him, nearly making Ace burst into tears all over again.

"...you got it, Boss."

* * *

 **SMOKER'S POV**

Smoker believed that he might actually be experiencing the worst day of his entire life. First, his partner of ten years was poisoned and hospitalized, stuck in a coma. THEN he'd shown up to work after a night in the hospital to find that calls were pouring in reporting that people were literally dying in the streets, over five thousand in all. The nobles were already calling for marshall law, something that could not be allowed since the second that plan was approved, one of the warring gangs would seize control. Smoker could not let that happen, not in his city.

On top of that, one hundred and fifty missing person cases had been called in, though that number was still rising along with the random and completely infuriating calls from people that were concerned with the number of stray animals that had appeared in the city overnight. PLUS the sixteen mangled corpses found early in the morning by unfortunate civilians. It really was not a good day.

"Vergo, I want you to handle the murders." Smoker ordered, handing over the case file.

"...I think I would be more useful on the missing person's case." Vergo protested, but Smoker shook his head,

"You've worked homicide before, these younger brats don't have the experience needed for this case." ' _and...this is my city, my district...this happened while I was on duty'_

Before the other man could reply, the door to the station burst open to reveal the familiar form of one of the volunteer firefighters,

"I NEED TO SPEAK WITH SMOKER!" Ace shouted the second he was inside.

"...I thought today couldn't get worse." the man in question muttered before making his way towards the front of the building.

"SMOKER!"

"What is it, Portgas? I'm a _bit_ busy."

"SMOKER! MY LITTLE BROTHER IS GONE!" Ace yelled. Smoker sighed.

"...you and everyone else...file a report and-"

"No! It's not the same!" Ace protested, "I've been watching the news but...this is different!"

"How so?" Smoker asked and braced himself for another barrage of shouted information.

"Ace, go wait with Thatch while I explain this," Marco said, appearing behind the younger man, who had indeed been about to shout the details of his brother's case.

"...Phoenix." Smoker growled,

"Smoker." Marco replied stoically, "Ace, go outside with Thatch. Now." Ace sighed and did as he was told, his silence and sudden loss of energy allowing the detective to notice how pale the other man was.

"His brother-"

"Is different from the other cases." Marco interrupted, "he didn't just vanish into thin air. We have a crime scene." _That_ got Smoker's attention.

"A crime scene? He's not...dead, is he?"

"I certainly hope not, there'd be no consoling Ace if he was." Marco muttered, "He was...abducted, there are signs of a struggle but nothing to indicate that the boy himself is dead. However...there are also signs of... _other_...things."

"...what other things?" Smoker asked though he was almost completely certain that he didn't _want_ to hear the answer.

"It appears that he was...sexually assaulted, kidnapped, and then taken from his original captor." Marco said bluntly, "there's a dead body on the scene with...particular wounds." Smoker suddenly looked decades older than he was, dropping his face into his hand as he sighed,

"Of all the times for something like this to happen…" he muttered, "I'll put you in touch with Captain Jonathan in the Special Victims Unit...that's, well, that's about all I _can_ do at the moment."

" _Of all the things to happen right now with everything else going on...I wish I could help them. That brat's annoying but he's a good kid."_

"I'll let Ace know," Marco replied, turning to leave

"Phoenix." Smoker called after him, making the man pause, "don't do anything illegal, not in this case. You have to let us handle it." He was rewarded by the appearance of a small, predatory smirk as the blonde looked back at him.

"That kid's got so many powerful people wrapped around his finger...you better hope you find whoever did this first." then he was gone, rejoining his friends outside. Smoker couldn't watch as Marco spoke to Ace, knowing just how powerless he actually was in this situation.


	5. Chapter Four

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Here's the next chapter (longest one yet!)  
Special shout out to Jui-Imouto-Chan for pointing out that we didn't give Thatch much...er...screentime...we'll be working on that in the future since he's amazing.

WARNINGS  
\- panic attack(s)  
\- mentions of sexual assault  
\- mentions of human trafficking

We hope you enjoy! And, as usual, please feel free to give us feedback! :)

* * *

 **THATCH'S POV**

Thatch had no idea what to do with a crying Ace. Angry Ace he could deal with, and that was something that most people couldn't say. It wasn't that he wasn't _willing_ to, but he was not prepared to hold Whitebeard's second division commander as he cried, soaking the shoulder of his coat. He had never seen Ace so vulnerable and the sight honestly scared him which is why, after leaving Ace with Marco, Thatch set off into the city.

The situation was...not the best. Thatch knew Moby like the back of his hand. He knew every alley, every hideout. He knew who ran the city and every branch of shady activity that took place. But Water Seven was completely different, with its warring gangs and unchecked dealings. He needed to know how the system worked which is why he was tracking down the information broker known as The Magician. Maybe, if he was lucky, the broker would have information on the location of Ace's little brother. He needed Ace to smile again and would do anything and everything it took to wipe the despair off of _his_ little brother's face.

As he entered The Scarecrow, a rather rundown fortuneteller's shop, he assumed that the only man in the room was the person he was looking for.

"I've been expecting you," the man said as he shuffled his cards, "Not to worry, there is a 92% chance that the boy is alive, though there is only a 45% chance that he will return unscathed."

"...you must be The Magician." Thatch replied, "If you know where Luffy is, you'd better tell me right now."

"The dog keeps him safely tucked away in his den, although he must keep constant watch for the jealous hyena's game."

"Man, when they said you talk in riddles they really weren't kidding," Thatch groaned, "can't you just give me a straight answer? A kid's _life_ is in danger!" The Magician shuffled his cards again, showing no interest in his visitor,

"Did I not just tell you that he has a 92% chance?" he replied calmly, "The cards never lie, the odds are in his favor." Thatch sighed,

"Alright, fine. Then who's this dog?"

"There are many in this city, all vying for the same throne."

At this moment, Thatch was almost completely certain that tearing his hair out and slamming his head into a wall would be of more use than this man's mutterings but he did his best to remain calm.

"I need information about the leaders in the city." Thatch tried again, "I need to know who runs what and how the city is split up. I also need information on all recent black market deals in the area, or even passing through the area. Anything that could get us closer to finding the kid."

"You ask for much," The Magician mused, "And if I were to tell you all that you wish to know, the chance of my death is 100%." he briefly glanced up from his cards before returning to shuffling the things, "I will tell you this. There are two main powers in the city, both of which are extremely dangerous, but a third darkness grows stronger with every moment it spends hiding in the shadows. The balance of power is shifting rapidly and the boy is at the center of it all, hence the 42% chance that he will come out unscathed."

"You lowered the percentage." Thatch said, frowning.

"Did I?" The Magician asked, unconcerned.

"Yes. You said 45 earlier and now it's 42." Thatch drawled, absolutely certain that he was wasting his time.

"Well, the cards never lie." came the calm response

"Yeah, yeah, alright." Thatch turned to leave, calling over his shoulder, "Thanks for the...help."

"Before you leave," The Magician began, making the other man pause, "I will point you in the right direction. Follow the trail of blood and you will find him." Thatch gaped,

"...oh yeah, that makes me feel _sooooo_ much better about this situation."

"I am merely giving you the help you asked for." The Magician said, "Do be careful in your search. There are many dangerous players involved."

"I'll...keep that in mind." Thatch said, finally leaving the dingy little shop.

" _yeah...that was...disturbing. He obviously knew more than he was letting on. Whoever the major players are in this city, they're dangerous enough to scare even the information brokers into silence...great…"_ he frowned for a moment, trying to make sense of the encounter before sighing, " _well, I'll tell Marco and see what he thinks. Good ol'Pineapple Head always knows what to do! And...I think I'll let him tell Ace…"_

* * *

 **LAW'S POV (a few hours earlier)**

Law wondered just how long Crocodile was going to sit on the floor laughing at their predicament. It didn't make it any better that Doflamingo kept trying to yell at him but every time he did, it only came out as SQUAWK, accompanied by the furious whacking of the laughing man with pink-feathered wings.

"Alright, alright." Crocodile wheezed, trying to get his breath back as he stood, "I get it, but…" he snorted, "this is just too much."

Law watched, fascinated, as Doffy seemed to _snarl_ , something a bird technically wasn't capable of doing, but before he could attempt another lecture (and trigger another round of laughter), the door burst open revealing two men with massive guns followed by approximately eight more with what appeared to be cattle prods.

For a moment, the men froze under the intense glare of a furious flamingo before Crocodile broke the silence,

"Are those my guns?" he asked, voice deadly serious.

"...TAKE THEM DOWN!" one of the gunmen yelled, signaling the beginning of a very...odd fight.

It consisted of the awkward flapping of Doflamingo as he screamed insults in the form of squawks and screeches, attempting to do damage of any kind to their assailants...before slipping and falling sideways on the slippery floor. Kidd, for his part, attempted to...bear...as shown in documentaries on tv, but misjudged his weight to mass ratio and fell backward, where he was stuck for the next few minutes as Law attempted to help him roll over, griping the entire time.

"...why the heck are you so fat?" he asked, attempting to push at the large body

"I'm not fat you jerk! It's fur! This is just how I'm built." Kidd replied angrily, to which Law snorted,

"You settled in quick, Eustass-ya."

The only person who actually managed to do some damage to the enemy was...the only actual person they had. Crocodile, angry at the sudden turn of events, managed to shoot down half of their force before they knew what hit them, gravely wounding a few more with his massive, poison hook before one of them managed to shoot and hit him with some sort of dart.

The next thing they knew, their odd group had been joined by an actually, infuriated crocodile.

"...I suggest we retreat." Crocodile said as calmly as he could, "I can no longer fight."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" the newly righted bear grumbled and proceeded to throw himself out of the nearest window. The others didn't even think before following him.

* * *

 **TEACH'S POV**

Teach threw his radio against the wall as hard as he possibly could.

"YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!" he roared, "HOW HARD IS IT TO TAKE OUT FIVE TARGETS?!"

No one met his gaze or dared to move a muscle.

"FIRST, YOU MISS SMOKER AND HINA IS NOT EVEN AFFECTED BY THE SERUM. THEN, YOU MIX UP THE BAIT FOR DOGTOOTH AND THE MONKEY BRAT! WHICH _APPARENTLY_ COST SIXTEEN PEOPLE THEIR LIVES! _AND_ THE BRAT IS IN THE HANDS OF DOGTOOTH, WHO IS, MIGHT I ADD _INSANE_! OH AND THEN, AS THOUGH THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, YOU HAD TO GO AND LOSE JOKER, WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE EASIEST TARGET SINCE HE WAS A GIANT PINK BIRD!"

"Now, now, Boss. We'll figure this out. You've already managed to kill thousands of people in the city, even if the main targets are still at large." Lafitte, put in placatingly, "We'll still have plenty of chances to catch them, we've already caught a good amount of animals anyway."

"I guess you're right," Teach admitted, "The plan isn't...completely ruined. HOWEVER, I need more firepower if I'm going to go against the Charlotte family."

"We have our allies, Boss." Burgess pointed out,

"Zeehahahaha, you're right! Contact... _him."_

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Everything hurt and he couldn't move. That was literally the only thing Luffy knew as he struggled to open his eyes. He could tell that he was surrounded by something very soft, and beyond that, there was something that looked like...wood?...and beyond that...a dark room.

He attempted to shift one of his arms, wondering what exactly had happened, but immediately regretted that decision as his muscles protested. That was when he looked and realized that he no longer had arms. Instead, he had four legs covered in fuzzy black fur that could barely be seen between thick layers of clean bandages.

Ignoring the pain, Luffy attempted to force himself to his feet, once again regretting the motion, as he swore he felt something tear under one of the pieces of gauze.

"Owww." he groaned, settling back down, panting from the momentary exertion.

As he lay there helpless, alone in a strange, dark place, Luffy felt as though the walls were closing in on him. If there was one thing he hated, it was being alone.

"...oi, Ace…" he managed to get out past the lump forming in his throat as his breathing quickened, "Ace? Sabo? Oi….where…..help! Please….please...don't leave me…" he cried, completely breaking down until words were no longer making their way into what would have been great shuddering sobs had he been human.

He wasn't expecting the sudden brightness that made him blink in shock, eyes trying desperately to adjust. "Ace? Sabo?" he tried again, but the concerned face that appeared above him was not familiar, did nothing to stop the panic trying to strangle him.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri was alerted that his new cat was awake by the sudden, heartbreaking mewls coming from his bedroom. He quickly dropped what he was doing, rushing into the other room to see what was wrong. He assumed that the kitten was in pain, thanks to the extensive injuries inflicted by those...scum. The vet had insisted that he would be fine but had warned Katakuri that he would likely be in a lot of pain when he woke up.

Thanks to the vet, he had expected the mewls of pain. What he hadn't expected was the clearly terrified look in the kitten's eyes, the rapid breathing, and the panicked reaction to his presence, the tiny creature trying his hardest to back away and escape the basket he'd placed him in.

"Shhh, come now," Katakuri said quietly, calmly, trying his best to appear non-threatening, "Come now, it's okay."

That...didn't seem to help much...if anything..it might have made it worse. Katakuri's eyes widened in shock as the kitten's breathing somehow sped up even more, tiny patches of red beginning to show where his movement had torn wounds open.

Acting on instinct, and remembering when he'd been on babysitting duty...one of the MANY times... Katakuri scooped the tiny animal up and held him against his chest, awkwardly attempting to calm the kitten like he would a baby, swaying and quietly speaking, anything to calm the distraught little cat.

That still didn't quite work. Katakuri sighed and sat on his bed, laying back and cradling the kitten to him, gently stroking along his spine with one careful finger.

That was where he stayed until the kitten calmed, his breathing evening out as he fell back asleep, exhausted by his own terror.

" _Can't believe this…"_ Katakuri thought, " _a few days ago I was rampaging through the city, mutilating people...now I've got an injured kitten on my chest...it's...nice."_ at that moment, the kitten yawned, drawing the ghost of a smile onto Katakuri's face.

" _I think...I think I'll keep him."_ he decided, closing his own eyes, content for that brief moment.

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Over the past couple of days, literally some of the worst of his entire life, Ace had spent hours with Captain Jonathan going over every detail of the crime scene. The blood on the staircase had been identified as Luffy's, which he would not admit he spent two hours crying over in the bathroom, and both Marco and Thatch had repeatedly had to keep him from stomping on the already mutilated face of the now identified, Don Krieg.

As far as the police could tell, the crime had happened around the time Ace had been supposed to meet up with his brother. It was likely that someone had been waiting for him in the apartment and had waited to make sure he was alone before striking, catching the teen unaware. There was a fight, that much was obvious from the state of the room and the blood spatter around the overturned furniture. The pile of clothes, twisted and wrinkled, along with the small droplets of blood found primarily on Luffy's shirt, blood that was identified as belonging to Krieg, led the police to believe that, once the teenager was relatively subdued, he had been sexually assaulted before being dragged from the scene, at least one wound bad enough to leave the trail of blood down the stairs to the sidewalk. From there...they were less certain on the events.

It was entirely likely that Krieg had not been working alone, which left the police with more questions. Had his partner turned on him at the end of the deal or was there a third party that had made an appearance as they attempted to make their getaway. Had the motive been trafficking, there might have been a falling out among those involved, tensions rising with the question of how to split the money or who would get the boy.

Basically, Ace was very tired. Tired of worrying, tired of crying, tired of everything.

"You've gotta sleep, Ace, you're no help to the investigation if you're dead on your feet." Thatch pointed out, concerned.

"I can't sleep." Ace replied, voice dead, hollow, "not until he's safe." Marco frowned,

"...Ace.." he began, putting a hand on his shoulder, only for the younger man to slap it away.

"You don't understand!" he shouted, "You just...you don't get it!" he glared at them, trying desperately to ignore the tears welling up in his eyes once again, "this IS MY FAULT! If...if I had _been_ there! IF I WAS AN ACTUAL GOOD OLDER BROTHER AND SHOWED UP ON TIME I COULD HAVE HELPED HIM!" he gasped for air, "If I was there...this wouldn't have happened! He wouldn't have ended up on the black market being sold as some...possession...this...I...I just…." he cut himself off, shutting his eyes against the bleak reality that threatened to overwhelm him, "I...I can't rest until he's safe. Even if it kills me."

 ***SLAP***

Ace stared in shock at Marco as the man withdrew his hand, blue eyes alight with fury.

"Don't you _EVER_ say that again!" he commanded, "This is NOT your fault, this is the fault of sorry excuses for human beings that targeted your brother in the first place." he made sure the younger man was looking him in the eye when he added. "Ace, we _will_ find your brother, and when we do, we will make sure every person that _dared_ lay a hand on him will wish they were never born."

"...thanks, Marco." Ace muttered, "that...that helps…" Marco sighed,

"Go get some rest, Ace."

Ace stood to make his way to his bed in their shared hotel room, only making it a few steps before he stopped, going unnaturally still.

"Ace?" Thatch asked, "What's wrong?"

"I...I forgot to call Sabo." Ace whispered, face pale.

"You...YOU WHAT?!" Marco exclaimed in disbelief, "Ace, did you call ANYONE but us?!"

"...no...I forgot, with everything that's going on," he admitted,

"Call him." Marco ordered grimly, "he has connections that might be useful if we really _are_ investigating a trafficking ring. Just...leave the rest of us out of whatever punishment he has in mind for your forgetfulness. Call anyone else who _needs_ to know as well."

Ace nodded and continued on his original path to his bed, plopping down and staring at his phone as though it was a bomb that might go off at any second. With a sigh, he scrolled through his contacts and found Sabo's name, hitting the call button as dread shot through him. He was almost relieved when his brother didn't pick up on the first ring, but that relief was short-lived, as it connected on the second.

"Hello? Ace?" Sabo's voice, familiar and reassuring came through the phone and the stupid tears he'd been trying (and failing) to keep away once more filled his eyes.

"Sabo…" he said shakily,

"What's wrong?" Sabo asked, knowing instantly that something bad had happened.

Ace haltingly explained every detail of the situation, including the current assumptions made by the police force, no matter how hard it was to force the words past his lips.

"...and _why_ didn't you tell me the moment you found out about this?" Sabo asked, his voice deceptively calm. Ace winced,

"I panicked." he answered honestly, "I wasn't sure what to do and...I...I was ashamed...this is..how could I face you having lost our brother? I...it's my…"

"No. Ace, calm down. No matter how angry I am that you didn't tell me sooner, you need to realize that none of this is your fault." Sabo informed him, "None of it. At all. You can't help Luffy by placing blame."

"...okay…" Ace didn't quite believe him, as he hadn't quite believed Marco, but he said the words anyway.

"I'm buying a plane ticket as we speak, I'll be there in the morning. Ace, you need to sleep. I can hear how exhausted you are." Sabo told him, "I swear, I _will_ find the individual, or individuals, who have done this and I will _gladly_ watch as the life drains from their eyes." his voice went cold towards the end, finally giving away a fraction of the fury flowing through him.

"Okay then, I guess I'll -"

"Oh, hang on, Dragon's here. I need to tell him." Sabo interrupted.

"Tell me what?" Ace went silent, listening as Sabo handled the situation.

"So I have a plane ticket, I need to pack and head for the airport as soon as possible." Sabo finished,

"...why?"

"Luffy is...missing," Sabo said and Ace could have sworn he felt the anger radiating through the phone, though no voices were raised.

"What happened?" Dragon asked, voice hard.

"Basically, he was abducted. I'll tell you the rest while I pack. Ace, call whoever else you _forgot_ to tell about this and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright, see you then." Ace replied, hanging up and staring at a name further down on his list of contacts. His next call likely wouldn't be so...calm.

Shanks answered on the first ring with his usual cheerful greeting,

"Ace! What's up, man, haven't heard from you in forever!" the energetic man didn't wait for an answer before he plowed on, "Is Anchor there? I meant to call him last night to tell him to look at how big the moon was!" Ace felt as though his heart had stopped but he managed to get out,

"Hey, um, is Benn there?"

"What? Yeah, he's right here, you're on speaker." Shanks answered happily,

"I'm here. What happened, Ace?" Benn asked, like Sabo he instantly knew that something was wrong.

"What do you mean?" Shanks asked, and the other man sighed.

"Ace never asks for me, never calls, and you think something _isn't_ wrong?" Benn drawled, "Ace, start talking.

And so he did, telling once again, the events of three days previous, followed by the suspicions of the police. For a moment there was silence, but then...

" _What did you just say?"_ Shanks asked, sounding as though he was trying (and failing) not to shout.

"Yeah...Luffy's...gone...we have no leads, no idea where he could possibly be...and the police force is currently assuming that he's a victim of some trafficking ring." Ace spat out, the words leaving the taste of bile behind.

"Shanks, sit down!" Benn exclaimed suddenly,

"No! Don't try to stop me, Benn! I'm going over there RIGHT NOW!"

"To do what?!"

"TO KILL 'EM!"

"...to kill...who?"

"EVERYONE WHO EVER LAID A HAND ON MY ANCHOR!" Shanks roared, followed by a crashing sound that Ace assumed was...a chair maybe?

"We need more information, Shanks, we can't rush over there knowing nothing!" Benn reasoned,

"WE'D BE MORE USEFUL TEARING THE CITY APART THAN SITTING AROUND TWIDDLING OUR THUMBS!" Shanks shot back,

"Shanks, I understand that he's your godson but you're the leader of one of the most powerful mafias in the state." Benn pointed out, "You can't just waltz into another city like that! You could make it _even harder_ to find Luffy! We MUST approach this rationally,"

"...FINE." Shanks spat out grumpily,

"Ace, we'll do everything we can from this end," Benn said calmly

"BUT, if you get a lead and need help, call me and I'll be there as soon as possible." Shanks interrupted,

"...thanks, that...that means a lot, I'll keep you updated." Ace replied, glad the conversation was drawing to a close.


	6. Chapter Five

**Authors' Note**

Hey guys, here's the next chapter! We were overwhelmed by the response to the previous chapter and are looking forward to future feedback!

 _ **Review Responses**_

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** Thanks so much for the continued support and all of the reviews! Ace...probably would have been killed if he had forgotten to contact Shanks and he's lucky he even remembered to call Sabo with everything that has been going on...don't worry, his anger is currently building, it has to push past all of the angst. Luffy's reaction is definitely due to his current vulnerability, not to mention how crazy his systems are going with such a major change and some previous trauma that will be explained as we go (some of this is mentioned in this chapter actually). The crew will not be involved in gang activity in this story, though we will still see them throughout.

 **Jordansdevil:** We purposefully left Garp off the call list because, as you said, that would not go well, at all. No one wants to face Garp's wrath, especially not Ace. He will come into play more in the future, don't worry. :)

 **Guest 1:** We're really mean to Ace in this story...but don't worry, we love him too much to make him suffer for too long.

 **Guest 2:** Katakuri is great and really soft on the inside...we certainly hope no one makes the mistake of underestimating him just because he likes cats...they would end up very very dead...;)

 **Warnings**

\- graphic descriptions  
\- mention of phobias (claustrophobia)  
\- mention of sexual assault

* * *

 **CROCODILE'S POV**

How it got to this point, he wasn't sure, but he was currently attempting to hold a family hostage while the others raided the fridge...well, the younger two did, and the bird sat on the island supervising and offering... _helpful_ tips.

"Maybe if you-"

"Shut up." Law interrupted, "You're really not helping. Go help the lizard."

"Stupid fridge. Stupid lack of opposable thumbs." Kidd muttered. Doffy laughed, something they all wished he would stop doing since his signature chuckle was...wrong coming from a flamingo.

"Stop arguing and get the food!" Crocodile snapped, terrifying the family since all they heard was a drawn-out hiss.

A few minutes later, they _finally_ managed to get the fridge open, only to find that they had chosen the wrong house. The fridge was full of nothing but vegetables, bottles of meal replacement shakes, baby food, and two loaves of bread.

"Where's the meat?!" Kidd growled, "No one can live on this alone!"

"We've wasted too much time here." Crocodile called from the living room, "grab _something_ and let's go!"

Thirty minutes later, in the relative safety of the alley, they'd claimed as their own, they looked over the food they'd managed to plunder from the unlucky family they'd targeted.

"WHY DID YOU GRAB BOTH LOAVES OF BREAD?!" Law asked furiously, "You could have grabbed more vegetables!"

"I don't like vegetables," Kidd explained, shrugging his massive shoulders.

"Law, we can't afford to be picky." Doffy said seriously, "Sometimes you have to eat whatever you can find to survive. We're lucky this isn't garbage."

" _That's a bit out of character for the old bird…"_ Crocodile thought, studying his feathery rival.

"Well let's just eat what we've got." Kidd said, "It's not like-" he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he slumped forward, eyes rolling back in his head, tongue falling out of his mouth.

The rest of them didn't really have a chance to react as nets descended on the other creatures, teams of people tackling and muzzling Law, Crocodile, and the unconscious Kidd.

As Crocodile struggled, ominous footsteps approached,

"You thought you could escape me?! Me, Breed, the best animal control officer this side of the red line?!" an unpleasant voice shrieked, "I have been tracking your strange group since you appeared on the streets! There was never any hope for you!"

As the animals continued to struggle, they were dragged away to the waiting trucks, locked in cages, and taken away.

* * *

 **LUCCI'S POV**

Upon receiving word that a flamingo, a crocodile, a snow leopard, and a bear had been taken into custody by Water Seven Animal Control, Lucci knew he had to visit them. The group had reportedly worked together to hold an entire family hostage as they raided the fridge and retreated with their finds, sharing the food equally between all of them, even though, by all rights, they should have been fighting tooth and claw for a majority share or, more likely, a piece of meat from one of the others' hides.

Odd animals combined with the mass disappearances? That was enough to make anyone suspicious...anyone with a brain that is...

Unnoticed by any of the staff in the shelter, Lucci made his way to the cages holding the four creatures and stood observing them until he had the attention of each one.

"Can you understand me?" he asked calmly, watching as the four exchanged looks and nodded in response. "Great, then I'm going to do you a favor, and release you."

That gained him wary looks from all of the animals, none more hostile than the flamingo's obsidian glare.

"That's all, I swear." Lucci assured the animals, "I want nothing in me."

He unlocked the cages without waiting for their response, pulling the doors wide open and walking away. It only took a moment for the menagerie to run past him and out the door into the clear night air.

He didn't mention the fact that all four of the animals had been chipped while they were...otherwise distracted. They would be recaptured within the hour but, hopefully, they would be sent somewhere where they could hide more efficiently.

Lucci didn't know why he stuck around after the animals disappeared into the night, but he was glad he did if only so he could see the heavily armed men that burst into the facility soon after, proving his theory correct.

"Gentlemen," he greeted them, "I have been waiting."

"IT'S A COP!" one man shouted, "SHOOT HIM!"

" _...I'm not a cop…"_ Lucci thought though he was more than happy to give them a fight if they wanted one.

For some reason, his assailants were abnormally slow to reach for weapons loaded with anything other than tranquilizers, not that Lucci cared since that allowed him to take several of them down as they struggled. Most of the team panicked in the face of the sudden attack, overwhelmed by the bloodlust pouring off of the man. Within the next two and a half minutes, almost every member of the team was very obviously dead, the calm expression never leaving the face of the unarmed man they'd thought would be an easy target.

Lucci turned and reached for his phone to report in, certain that his would-be attackers were staying down. He should have checked one more time. A dart hit him in the back as one man used the last of his energy to fire the loaded weapon one of his comrades had dropped during the massacre.

Seconds later, Lucci looked down in fascination at his new paws, having barely even noticed the pain of transforming.

" _Well that was unexpected."_ he mused, turning his head to see the long tail waving around behind him, " _Now I know what happened to the others...but not who did it…"_

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy had never thought that a single room could take so long to explore. Normally, it probably wouldn't have even been _that_ big, but as he was now, the room was like a castle with many nooks and crannies to investigate.

After the man, now identified as Charlotte Katakuri, one of the main leaders of the underground in the city that Ace had _repeatedly_ warned him about, had moved his basket to the floor Luffy had spent every possible moment trying to get his bearings...and maybe find a way out to go find Ace, who would _definitely_ know how to fix this.

Speaking of, the man hadn't let Luffy out of his sight since he'd first regained consciousness, sitting around and just...watching...studying the kitten's movements with an unreadable expression on his face that sometimes became a small smile if Luffy did something that was amusing. He had an odd mouth with large, sharp teeth and stitches up the sides of his face, something Luffy thought was really cool even if it made the man even scarier than he already was.

As Luffy limped around the room, looking for something to get into, he noticed the large mirror sitting on top of the dresser and stared up at it.

"I want to see." he said decisively, trying to ignore the mewl that came out instead of words, "I need to see what I look like!"

"What is it, Cat?" Katakuri's voice rumbled from far above him as he came to stand beside Luffy's tiny body.

Luffy flinched and shrank away from the man. He had treated him kindly in the week since he'd woken up, feeding him and taking care of his wounds, but Luffy didn't fully trust the man, not while he was so vulnerable and weak. Unfortunately, Katakuri didn't seem to care about that as he bent down and scooped the kitten up, ignoring his shrill protests.

"Here." the man said, carefully placing Luffy in front of the mirror.

Staring back at him was the tiniest, fluffiest black kitten he had ever seen...himself. His own eyes stared out of the little face with too big ears twitching on top of his head. His scars, the one under his eye from the time he'd attempted to show Shanks how brave he was, and the large one on his chest from the fire he'd survived when he was a child, were now white splotches of fur. His paws seemed a bit too big as well, giving him an excuse for how clumsy he was...other than the fact that he was used to two legs, not four. His attention was drawn briefly to the little tail he now possessed, before Katakuri's hand appeared to hover over him momentarily, beginning to gently stroke the fur along Luffy's spine. This was yet another thing that he wasn't sure of, enjoying getting petted. If someone had tried this on him when he was..himself...that wasn't one of his friends, his brothers, or Shanks, Luffy would have broken their arm...yet here he was, flopped onto his side, purring as this massive mob boss scratched under his chin.

This was all a lot to take in.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri's new pet was...strange. While the kitten was the most adorable thing he had ever seen, it often seemed confused with everything.

" _I'll have to have come check on him again."_ he decided, watching as the kitten suddenly stopped and stared up at his mirror for a moment before beginning to meow at it.

" _...he's...he's meowing at the mirror...do cats like mirrors? I'll have to write that in the journal asked me to keep."_ Katakuri stood and looked down at his pet,

"What is it, Cat?" he asked, noting the way the tiny creature backed away from him in alarm.

" _Am I really that scary?"_ he wondered, then realized that, oh yeah, he was…" _still...I hope he gets used to me in time...it's depressing when even a kitten is scared of me."_

"Here," he said, leaning down to scoop the tiny creature up and place him on the dresser. He watched the kitten freeze as he seemed to study himself seriously in the mirror, a decidedly un-cat like behavior.

" _I've never seen a cat with these markings."_ he mused, " _It's...unique, I like it."_

He allowed himself a small smile as he reached to gently pet the cat...whose response was to flop onto his side.

" _...is...is that normal? I have no idea what I'm doing...or what's normal for that matter...I guess I'll just write it down along with everything else."_

Katakuri enjoyed a moment of calmness, listening to the tiny purr of the kitten, before his door opened, revealing an annoyed Brulee,

"Did you forget that you called a meeting, Brother?" she asked, "We've been waiting for more than ten minutes now."

"Right," Katakuri turned and grabbed his scarf, making sure it was in place before scooping up the kitten and carrying him out of the room with him, hopefully, the small creature would help to keep him calm during what promised to be a stressful meeting.

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Ace rolled out of bed, doing his best to ignore the throbbing in his face where Sabo's fist had connected in a well-deserved punch. He groaned, the night had been restless and the day didn't seem like it would be much better than any of the others in the past week. The police at a standstill, no new evidence, no leads. Nothing but a week under their belt and a trail that was probably going cold.

He trudged out of his room to find Sabo sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee and a newspaper in hand.

"Good morning, how's your face?" was the greeting he got,

"...morning...it's...fine." Ace grumbled, heading to fetch his own cup of coffee, "Marco and Thatch?"

"Thatch is asleep. Marco left earlier." Sabo informed him, "No new calls from the police. In my own investigation into local trafficking rings, there's no trace of Luffy anywhere...whoever's behind this is being extraordinarily careful."

Ace's hand shook violently as he attempted to pour his coffee, sloshing the hot liquid over the sides until he had to put the pot down.

"Ace?"

"What if…" Ace began, "what if we're too late?" his voice a horrified whisper, "what if it was too late even by the time we got to the police?!"

"It's not too late, Ace." Sabo said, tone reassuring, though he might have also been attempting to reassure himself, "It can't be too late. We'll find him."

Ace went to respond but, before he could, someone knocked on the door of their suite.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Thatch said from the doorway to his room, yawning. Sabo shrugged and stood, making his way over to the door and looking through the peephole.

"It's...not a cop," he warned the other two before opening the door cautiously. "Hello?"

"Greetings, I am Dracule Mihawk, private investigator, I have information on your brother." the man said. He was lucky that it was Sabo who had answered the door because all he did was open it wider and beckon for the man to enter. Ace would have grabbed him and pulled him in.

"Please, come in." Sabo said, "Ace, you should probably call Shanks to save us the trouble. Thatch, Marco will want to be here."

"Alright," Ace did as he was told, ignoring the detective's curious gaze as it studied the impressive bruise on his face.

A few minutes later, after calling Marco back, the group sat down around the coffee table, listening as Shanks greeted the detective enthusiastically.

"HAWKY! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN YEARS!" Shanks exclaimed, "IT'S GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU!"

"...is this really necessary?" Mihawk asked, and everyone else nodded,

"He's Luffy's godfather," Ace informed him, "...and he'd kill us if we didn't include him."

"...of course he is." Mihawk sighed, "anyway, about the case."

"YES?" Shanks put in, excited

"I have looked over all of the evidence and visited the crime scene myself." Mihawk continued, as though Shanks had never spoken, "I believe that the police were, as usual, a bit too hasty in making assumptions due to the lack of evidence."

"What?"

"Yes. Let me tell you my version of how I think that evening's events transpired. The police were correct in their calculation of the time of the event, not even _they_ could mess that up with such a short period of time. There were indeed people waiting inside the apartment for your brother to return home, two of them in fact. Markings on the drainpipe outside suggested that they climbed up and went through the window into your brother's bedroom. Fingerprints taken off of that window were identified as belonging to a man known as Axe Morgan and the deceased Don Krieg." Ace cursed,

"They were in his bedroom?!"

"Ace, let him talk." Sabo interrupted him, "Why didn't the police think to dust the windows for fingerprints in the first place?"

"...considering their other problems at the moment, the processing of this crime scene was rather rushed. It is likely that, without any sign of forced entry through one of the windows, the police did not think to do so." Mihawk replied,

"...I told him, again and again, to shut and lock his window!" Ace growled, "Luffy can't stand enclosed spaces, not after the fire in Grey Terminal."

"He's a bit claustrophobic," Sabo explained and Mihawk nodded,

"That would explain it." he agreed, "Continuing on, they waited until he arrived home and settled in a bit before they attacked. He was taken by surprise given that he was only able to take a single bite out of the donut on the counter. He fought back, based on the blood spatter on his shirt and the state of the apartment,"

"Yeah but...how did his clothes...why would they-"

"There is absolutely no evidence that your brother was sexually assaulted." Mihawk said with finality, "the only evidence they have is circumstantial based on the clothes on the floor but, you might notice that the buttons on those clothes were still fastened. Had his clothes been forcibly removed, there would have been damage to the articles, and had he been forced to strip, those buttons would not have been fastened." the relief in the room as the man finished speaking was palpable until Sabo spoke up,

"Do you have an explanation then?"

"...we're working on that. Honestly, the scene makes little to no sense. Your brother was not sexually assaulted but...he was likely unclothed when he was taken from the apartment. Unfortunately, the scene outside is even stranger and more difficult to interpret. From the sporadic placement of the blood spatter, it is likely that he was pushed down the stairs, coming to a stop on the sidewalk below. There is nowhere near enough blood for him to have died of those injuries though he was likely incapacitated at the moment."

"Can we get to the mutilated body now?" Shanks asked and Mihawk sighed,

"Based on the somewhat confusing evidence, someone attacked and killed one of the would-be abductors. The police would say that Morgan and Krieg likely had a falling out and attacked one another, placing your brother in Morgan's hands. BUT, I believe that there is a third party at work here. Obviously, Krieg did not survive the encounter, but the presence of a large amount of Morgan's blood at the scene suggests that he was gravely wounded and subsequently dragged away from the scene to the trunk of the vehicle that made the skid marks nearby."

"How do we know that Morgan didn't kill Krieg though?"

"That would be because of Morgan's criminal record. The man's preferred weapon, as his name suggests, is an axe. Krieg's corpse, however, does not bear the wounds one would expect to see on a victim of an axe murderer. His main wounds, those that likely were the cause of death, were inflicted by an even stranger choice of weaponry, a trident. Of course, the other wounds on the body were no less brutal. It appears as though something, likely a finger, punctured Krieg's left eye socket and served as leverage for the lifting of the entire body and crushing of multiple other bones in his face."

"...so...you're saying that Luffy is in the hands of a psychopath?" Sabo asked,

"...we cannot be sure, but whoever it was decided not to kill your brother, though he was clearly capable of doing so on the spot. For whatever reason, he chose to take, not only your brother but Morgan who, I believe and in spite of the amount of blood he lost, was alive when he left the scene, simply due to the fact that Krieg's corpse was left behind." Mihawk said calmly

"Okay...now what?" Marco asked,

"I'm currently compiling the psychological profile of the killer and we are working on tracking down the weapon used since tridents are quite unusual."

"Do you...do you think Luffy is still alive?" Ace forced the question out, though he was terrified of the answer, he knew he _had_ to ask.

"I haven't yet completed the psychological profile but, obviously, your brother is in the hands of an extremely dangerous individual. All I know for sure is that, when he was taken from his apartment, he was alive." Mihawk replied, "perhaps the killer took pity on him, considering his injuries and nakedness...we simply do not know enough about him to tell."

"A crazy guy with a trident has my brother. Great." Ace muttered, somehow feeling almost more frustrated than before,

"Guys, hold on." Shanks cut in, voice oddly serious, "we're talking about a man with hands large enough, and strong enough, to crush a skull. A man that wields a trident and doesn't mind killing someone and leaving the body out in the open...I think I have a lead."

"You know who did this?!" Ace nearly shouted in surprise,

"...I think that description fits one Charlotte Katakuri, also known as Dogtooth. Phoenix, the name should sound familiar."

"Dogtooth?!" Marco gasped, "Big Mom's second son?!"

"The same." Shanks confirmed, "That would also explain Hawky's theory of whoever it was taking pity on Luffy. Dogtooth, with all of his younger siblings, has a bit of a soft spot for young, helpless children."

"He's nineteen!" Sabo protested,

"...It's Luffy." Shanks pointed out, "people still confuse him with twelve-year-olds."

"You have a point,"

"Well then, let's go get him!" Ace cheered, standing

"...it's not so simple, Ace." Marco interrupted, pulling the younger man back down onto the couch beside him, "If Dogtooth really _is_ the one who took Luffy...we need to call Pops."


	7. Chapter Six

**Authors' Note**

Here's chapter six, hope you enjoy!

 **Review Responses**

 **Son of Whitebeard:** We appreciate the reviews! Katakuri is _very_ scary but we love him anyway. Thanks for stopping by!

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** We love all of these characters so much and it warms our hearts that you feel the same. Luffy is indeed adorable! As for what Katakuri will do when Luffy turns back...we'll just have to wait and see ;) Cat Luffy gets his name VERY soon, hope you like it! We are big fans of both Lucci and Katakuri as well, definitely agree that they're "hot villains" as you put it. As always, we appreciate all of your feedback XD

 **Jordansdevil:** Thanks for reviewing again! As for your question, the goons aren't actually running around shooting random people (though that would be funny) they only shot Lucci because he witnessed/got in the way of their mission to capture Doffy's group. They...aren't well paid...or the brightest...

 **Warnings:**

\- mentions of drugs  
\- panic attack  
\- animal abuse

* * *

 **CORAZON'S POV**

Corazon was freaking out...to put it mildly. It had been ten days since his son vanished along with...a bunch of other people, not to mention the massive amount of people that dropped dead all around the same time. To make things worse, Law's roommate was apparently kidnapped and, while he was glad that Law wasn't there when it happened, it was likely that he had been kidnapped anyway.

" _...must be a serial kidnapper that targets young men with...black hair...that's about all they have in common…"_ Corazon reasoned before he groaned and banged his head on his desk. " _there's literally no connection is there? I hope they're both alright."_

"Did you look over the surveillance tapes I sent you?" Vergo asked from the doorway, startling the other man.

"The what?"

"The...the tapes that I sent over? You know, to look for your brother? The young master?...or...to look for Law…?" Vergo drawled,

"Oh!" Corazon exclaimed, "those! There...wasn't much to see…we honestly need to get better cameras so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Honestly, how did a bear even get into Doffy's parlor in the first place?"

"We should be out looking for the young master." Vergo said,

"WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR LAW!" Corazon shot back, "Doffy is a grown man and can take care of himself! _Law_ is probably scared and alone and crying for me _right now!"_

"...you...you realize this is _Law_ we're talking about?" Vergo asked in disbelief, "... _Law_ who enjoys dissecting living people as a torture method? The same young man that enjoys ripping people's hearts out? The _Surgeon of Death?"_

"He's a child who's probably crying for his father!" Corazon cried, "He's probably so scared right now!"

"...you're...okay, well...they're probably together...since they disappeared at the same time?" Vergo pointed out, "So...we should be looking for them."

"I have been!" Corazon replied indignantly, "You're just going to trust me as the acting head while Doffy is away."

"...while he's... _away?_ "

"...I will find Law if it's the last thing I do!" Corazon continued, ignoring Vergo,

"And Doffy."

"...and Doffy…" Corazon agreed, though it was obvious that he still wasn't quite as worried about his brother as he was about Law.

Vergo sighed and left the room, allowing the door to slam shut behind him. Corazon reached for his phone the moment he knew for sure that the other man was gone, glancing at the clock as he did so. The phone rang for a moment and then connected, Corazon not waiting for a greeting to begin speaking,

"Lucci, have you found anything?" he asked,

"...this is Kaku." was the response he received, "I...don't know….that is...Lucci is MIA…"

"HE'S WHAT?!"

"Haven't seen him in a few days." Kaku replied, "He was following up on a lead and vanished, leaving a bunch of corpses for us to make disappear in his wake. Found his gear and his phone there too, but he was nowhere to be found."

"Why am I _just now_ hearing about this?!" Corazon growled, "This seems important enough to tell me _as soon as humanly possible."_

"...sorry, had a lot to do on my end as well." Kaku offered, "The gov's been asking questions about why I'm not on my assigned mission."

"Just...just work it out. Try to find Lucci but don't forget, I called you in to find my son, that's still your top priority." Corazon didn't wait for an answer, hanging up and slamming his phone down on the desk in frustration. Things just kept getting more and more complicated.

"Law...where are you?"

* * *

 **LAW'S POV**

First of all, it had obviously a set up. No one with facial hair that manicured could possibly be trustworthy...especially when they were spewing such nonsense as " _trust me"_ and offering to do them a favor expecting nothing in return.

They'd been caught within an hour and been kept under close surveillance in individual cages until morning when they were transferred first into a van and then, to their horror, the city zoo.

A few days later, Law was in what he assumed was the vet's office, trying to watch the news as he was poked and prodded, growling at the man every time he attempted to make him turn away.

The biggest story was the massive wave of death that had swept through the city, claiming thousands but leaving no evidence behind. Medical personnel around the world were shocked, terrified, and generally baffled by this mystery. Next, there was a story on the hundreds of people missing, including billionaire tycoon Don Quixote Doflamingo and his nephew, Law.

" _...I bet there's a connection...probably between all of them, but I just don't have enough information."_ Law thought, finding it odd to hear himself listed among the famous missing persons, not that he could focus on that for very long as the vet decided to prod him in an...unfortunate...place, prompting another growl from the annoyed snow leopard.

" _...this man...he's so dead when I get out of here."_

He turned his attention back to the tv in time to hear the details of a case with sixteen brutally murdered individuals turning up in one night.

" _...based on the location...definitely the Charlotte family...but"_

"Fifteen bodies were found in various locations around Tottoland Parkway, and one found in front of the Sunnyvale Apartment complex." the news anchor said,

" _Sunnyvale? That's...MY place!"_

"A young college student living on the second floor of Unit C was reportedly abducted from his home a little over a week ago. Even with police working around the clock, no headway has been made in this case. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of one, Monkey D. Luffy, shown in the top right corner here, please call the number on your screen. Any information you have could help to save a life."

" _Luffy-ya?!"_ Law's eyes widened at the news, a low growl escaping him without him realizing it, " _who would be brazen enough to take_ him of all people _right out of our apartment?!"_

"Alright, all done. We can put him back in his enclosure." the vet said, relief obvious in his voice.

Law didn't pay much attention, lost in thought, as he was led back out into the snow leopard enclosure,

" _...who would target Luffy-ya? Is it connected to the other disappearances? Was he turned into an animal too? ...if he was I'd bet it's something hyper...but still, of all the people to target…"_

"Law."

" _...I need to get out of here and do some investigating...I bet everyone is going crazy with Luffy-ya missing...oh, and the rest of us I guess...but…"_

"Law!" Doffy's voice cut through his thoughts, making him look over at where the flamingo had decided to awkwardly perch on the fence of the enclosure,

"What?!" he snapped,

"Now, now, Lawsy." the bird "soothed"

"Call me that again and I will rip your wings off." Law growled, receiving a laugh from Kidd in his enclosure at the thought, "Do you have _any_ idea what's going on in this city? It's CHAOS out there!"

"Yes," Doffy replied seriously, "Croc's been gathering information so I have a pretty good idea of what's been happening in absence. Ah, maybe it's the smallest story that has you lost in your head...I heard that little roommate of yours has been...abducted, I believe was the word they used...how _unfortunate._ " Law snarled at that,

"He may annoy you but Luffy-ya is possibly the _only_ friend I have."

"Oi, what does that make me?" Kidd called,

"...an acquaintance." Law replied as Doffy said,

"the repairboy."

"Oi!"

"In any case," Law continued, "we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Easier said than done." Kidd snorted, "the security for everyone except Old Feather-butt over there is tighter than a jail!"

"What did you just call me?!" Doffy squawked indignantly as Crocodile laughed,

"Don't worry," the reptile put in suddenly, "I have a plan"

* * *

 **TEACH'S POV**

"That's it?" Teach asked, unimpressed

"What do you mean that's it?!" Caesar protested, "It's proving to be quite the promising drug!"

"...and how is _that_ supposed to help me?! I won't make the amount of money I need with a meth substitute! You promised me more than this!"

"...I was kidnapped…" Caesar muttered, but kept going before Teach could respond to that, "I need more samples from the animals! All you've brought me is a wombat and a mix of rats and squirrels that might not have ever been human in the first place! ...if this was Joker's plan, he would not have allowed the main targets to escape...the city would have been his within a day…"

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING UP THAT FOSSIL!" Teach roared, "HE'LL BE GROVELLING AT MY FEET SOON ENOUGH!" he spun away from the scientist, "Van Augur! Contact Akainu!" he ordered, "we need to get our hands on any relevant blood samples the police have collected. I want all available hands out walking the streets. You see a stray animal, you bag 'em! Get moving!"

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

"...you should name him...Bagel." Cracker suggested, "since that's what started all of this."

"No." Katakuri snapped, "I would rather die than name him something so...demeaning…"

"How about-"

"We have other things we should be discussing! I will name my cat on my own time, thank you very much." Katakuri interrupted his brother, gently stroking the tiny ball of fluff that lay purring in his arms, dozing. "Mont D'Or, report."

"Our scouts have reported a large amount of men bearing odd tattoos snooping around our territory recently. In fact, within the past few days their numbers have almost doubled."

"Are they part of the same group we massacred?" Katakuri asked, ignoring Cracker's muttered " _we?"_

"Most likely." Mont D'Or replied, "we have yet to learn who they work for."

"And our...friend?"

"Oh, he's not the most helpful of people." Cracker said, "He keeps claiming that he doesn't know who he took the job from."

"Job?"

"To kidnap some kid," he clarified, "You know, that one that's been in the news lately?"

"The child?" Katakuri asked,

"He's nineteen, Brother." Brulee put in, "not quite a child anymore."

"May as well be," Katakuri replied dismissively, "he's tiny, look at his picture!"

"...by the way, did you happen to see the kid while you were...you know... _murdering_ one of the supposed kidnappers?" Cracker continued,

"No, I only stepped in to save...Shadow? ...no...that's not quite right." he glanced down at the kitten again, "There was no one else there."

"Well, it appears that the police have made _you_ their main suspect in his case." Mont D'Or commented, "what should we do about that?"

"Me? I promise you that I did not abduct the kid, even if I did murder someone outside his apartment. That's...that's really not our main problem right now. I would never kidnap someone without reason nor would I be _stupid enough_ to kidnap Garp's grandson." There was a murmur of agreement from his siblings as he finished speaking, still stroking the tiny warm cat. "...I pity the poor soul who dared to pick a fight with that crazy marine and his family."

"Next subject...Doflamingo's people have gotten...restless, in his absence." Mont D'Or continued, "Should we make a move on his territory while we have this opportunity?"

"...not with this unknown variable thrown in." Katakuri replied, "we need to take care of any immediate threats before making any rash moves." his attention was drawn away from the conversation momentarily by the movement of the kitten in his arms as he stirred, yawning and stretching before squirming, obviously wanting down. Katakuri leaned over to place the tiny creature on the floor before giving his attention back to the meeting, "With or without their leader, the Don Quixote family is strong. I don't want to put any of you at risk by inciting unnecessary conflict while this unknown group is still at large."

"...understood."

"Mont D'Or, continue investigating this group. I want to know why they're snooping around here, who's in charge, anything you can find out." Katakuri ordered, "Cracker, continue attempting to get relevant information out of our guest."

"What, specifically, do you want to know?" the younger asked,

"Anything you believe is relevant to the current situation, including information on the kid."

"You've got it Big Bro!" Cracker replied, "This'll be fun."

"Then, if there's nothing else, this meeting is over." Katakuri stood, along with his siblings, instantly noticing that the floor was suspiciously free of any black fluffballs and the door to the meeting room was wide open.

"If you're looking for your new pet, he looked like he wanted out so I opened the door." Brulee said. Katakuri frowned,

"He's _injured._ He shouldn't be walking around on his own, not without me nearby."

"Already overprotective, Brother?" she teased. He sighed, deciding not to answer in favor of finding his cat.

"...he really can't have gotten far." he muttered as he walked down the hall, peeking in any open doors as he went, "he's tiny and covered in bandages…" As he finished that thought, he heard a crash from Brulee's room, making him turn and race to throw the door open.

There, covered in jewelry, was the cat, staring up in alarm at Flambe. While Katakuri was glad that that look was, for once, not directed his way, he was immediately concerned with the scene before him. The cat's bandages showed splotches of red, spreading from reopened wounds, and his sister stood over the mess, holding Brulee's jewelry box upside down. The poor thing also had new cuts on and around his body and, though it made no sense, Katakuri could have sworn that the tiny creature was _crying._

"Brother, I-" Flambe began, only to be cut off by his enraged roar

"NOT ANOTHER WORD!" she shrank back as he stalked forward, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO SUCH A TINY CREATURE WHO HAS DONE _NOTHING_ TO YOU?! HE IS WEAK, ALREADY GRAVELY INJURED, AND COMPLETELY HELPLESS YET YOU DO THIS?"

Flambe trembled under his tirade, looking up hopefully when he took a large, steadying breath, only for that hope to be replaced with horror and disbelief as he continued in a low voice that was almost more terrifying than his enraged shouts,

"Not only have you disrespected me, but you have brought harm to the newest member of _my_ family, and in doing so, broken your promise to obey me while under my roof. Pack your things. You're leaving first thing in the morning."

"B-brother, please!" Flambe protested, "I only wanted-"

"Did I ask for your excuses?" he interrupted coldly, "Cracker, take your sister to her room."

Cracker, knowing it was too late to pretend he (and the others) had been watching the drama unfold and not wanting to earn his older brother's wrath, quickly entered the room, grabbed Flambe's arm, and did as he was told, pretty much dragging the girl down the hallway.

Once their audience had left, Katakuri turned his attention to the poor, crying kitten at his feet.

"what did she do to you, you poor thing?" he asked quietly, carefully beginning to extract the kitten from the pile of jewelry, "I'm sorry, she's my responsibility…" he picked the creature up and carefully examined him, knowing he would likely need to call to visit in the morning.

The kitten blinked up at him, meeting his gaze without fear, an oversized ring perched precariously on his tiny head, slipping down over one ear. Katakuri smiled,

"Ah, I've got the perfect name now. You're a little King, aren't you?"

"Mew!" the kitten...King, said in response, nuzzling his face into the crook of Katakuri's arm as he carried him out of Brulee's room and back towards his own.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy was warm, comfortable, sleepy, and purring...and that was not okay. Even though this man had been nothing but kind to him and he could sense no evil motives, he was still wary. The stories Shanks had told of the "dreaded Dogtooth" painted a very violent, very _bloody,_ picture that didn't quite match up with the person who currently held him.

He yawned and began to wriggle, attempting to fight off his own drowsiness and get out of the man's massive hands. Fortunately, Katakuri noticed and set him down before focusing his attention back on...whatever they had been discussing. Luffy attempted to stealthily make his way to the door, weaving through massive feet, barely avoiding being stepped on once or twice. He had almost reached his destination without drawing any attention to himself when he managed to run into one of the legs of the older woman's chair and lose his balance, falling over clumsily.

The woman looked down at him and raised an eyebrow before reaching down to grab him by the scruff to help him get back on his feet. This, however, made Luffy see flashes of an insane grin, his entire body stiffening as he remembered the last time someone had grabbed him like that, his captor shaking him violently. Because of this, when she opened the door and put him down, he bolted, nearly running into the wall in his haste to get away.

He only went a little ways down the hall before he had to stop and catch his breath, trying to ignore the protests of his partially healed wounds.

"Oh! It's the mangey little rat that's been taking all of Big Brother's attention." a new voice said, "you're not even that cute, are you?" Luffy didn't like that voice, didn't even attempt to stick around and see who it was that was talking. His instincts said that the speaker was bad news, so he ran.

"ha, little cripple wants to play!" sang the voice, accompanied by odd, skipping footsteps, "run away, Little Rat, the further you go, the easier it will be to play with you."

Luffy glanced briefly over his shoulder, taking in the sight of the young girl skipping after him down the hallway. He knew he couldn't escape her with his tiny, clumsy legs, still stiff and bandaged. He had to hide. The next door in his path was closed but the one after that, just a bit further, was cracked open wide enough that he could run inside and, hopefully, find somewhere to hide.

Just as he reached the doorway, Luffy was yanked back, yowling in pain as the girl lifted him by the tail.

"Caught you!" she laughed, "Let's play, Little Rat."

The world swung and twisted as Luffy was carried upside down into the very room he'd been attempting to reach in order to hide. If his wounds had been protesting earlier, now they were screaming. He could feel the warm, wet patches on his bandages, uncomfortable against his fur.

"What to do, what to do…" the girl sang, "what to do with a rat like you!" She spun in a circle, before her gaze fell on the open jewelry box and she gasped. "I know! Pet rats belong in dark cages." she informed him, carrying him over to the vanity and peaking inside the box.

"Yes, I think this is perfect! In you go." she said, stuffing the disoriented Luffy down onto the bed of hard and sharp objects before slamming the lid to the box, leaving him alone in the dark.

Instantly, it was no longer the pain of his current wounds that plagued him, instead it was a fierce, suffocating heat. The air filled with smoke carrying the screams of unseen people all around and an unforgettable stench as white hot pain lanced through his chest. Luffy couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. He was completely and utterly alone.

The sudden shaking of his prison brought Luffy back to the present, though it did nothing to calm his racing heart and confused mind. He felt many different sharp objects scratching him in the dark, something wrapping around his neck making the situation even _more_ unbearable for a few moments before he found himself falling onto the unforgiving ground as the girl laughed above him.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Luffy had never been quite so glad to see Katakuri. The man was _livid,_ shouting at the girl before having her forcibly removed from the room. Luffy was amazed. From what Shanks had said, family was _everything_ to the Charlottes, yet Katakuri had defended him, someone he had known for a week, against his own sister. He was even more amazed when the man picked him up and _apologized_ as though it had been his fault that the girl had attacked him.

" _Maybe...maybe he's not as bad as I thought."_ Luffy mused as he stared up at the man, for once, completely without fear. Katakuri smiled in response, his eyes softening even though the scarf hid his mouth,

"Ah, I've got the perfect name now. You're a little King, aren't you?" he said and Luffy had to laugh,

"King? Whatever you say." he replied, snuggling into the man's arms and, for the first time in what seemed like forever, was able to completely relax, trusting that Katakuri would watch over him.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Authors' Note**

Here's chapter seven, love you guys! :)

 **Review Responses**

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** We feel like genies fulfilling all of your wishes! We...hate Flambe with a burning passion, it was _very_ fun writing her getting banished. Katakuri's a big softie at heart and we love him very much, enough to give him a cute kitten to take care of and cuddle with. We actually both completely forgot about the existence of Boa Hancock...oops...Thanks for the reminder! She will definitely be around XD

 **Jordansdevil:** Glad you're keeping up with the story! Thanks for the review!

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Yay new reviewer! Your review made us so happy...and may or may not have had us laughing out loud...you're wonderful :) One of the main reasons we started writing this story is because Luffy is just too cute. Thanks for your kind words, hope you keep enjoying it!

 **What to expect in this chapter  
\- **film references  
\- the plague  
\- psychotic flamingoes

* * *

 **LUCCI'S POV**

Looking back on the past few days, Lucci decided that he really didn't mind being a leopard. He'd scared quite a few people, chased some birds and some dogs for the heck of it, and evaded capture with ease. This was why he didn't bother moving when the door of the house whose back porch he'd spent the night on slid open, revealing a tall woman with long, straight black hair that he recognized as Robin, the wife of an underground broker.

"Oh, hello there Mr. Leopard." she greeted him, "it's a nice morning, isn't it?"

" _It always amazes me how calm she is about everything."_ Lucci mused as he flicked his tail in response to her words.

"Would you like something to drink, ?" she asked, "I can get you a bowl of milk if you'd like." This time, she didn't wait for an answer, turning and going back inside,

Lucci thought back to the first time he'd met her, having needed her archaeological expertise for a case involving a man by the name of Condoriano. They'd met at night, just off the street behind the museum where she was employed, and a man had decided it was in his best interest to mug them. Her voice had remained as calm as ever as she'd asked,

"Don't you know that, if you were to shoot me, you would get my blood and pieces of my flesh on your clothing? It's so difficult to get out," then she'd proceeded to disarm and knock the man unconscious before turning back to Lucci with a small smile and continuing their previous conversation.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice shouting,

"OW, ROBIN! HAVE YOU SEEN MY MAKESHIFT FLUX CAPACITOR?"

" _Cutty Flam, also known as Franky. One of the world's craziest engineers...and best repairmen…and Robin's husband."_ Lucci thought,

"I think it's in the cabinet above the toilet in the guest bathroom!" Robin called back, "Or you could check under the bed!"

" _They...are definitely a strange couple."_

"OW! IT WAS IN THE BATHROOM! WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST?"

"I was going to make a quiche but we can have cola instead, all the milk is going to the leopard on our porch." Robin replied

"THAT'S SUPERRRRRRR GREAT!" Franky shouted as Robin reappeared in the doorway with a large bowl of milk.

"I didn't know how much you wanted, , but you're a rather large cat so I used what we had left in the fridge." she informed Lucci, setting the bowl down beside him.

" _...I could definitely get used to this."_ Lucci thought as he stood and went to drink his milk.

* * *

 **SMOKER'S POV**

"We have literally nothing new that we can tell you." Doctorine said the second Smoker walked into the lab.

"Nothing?" he sighed, "At all? 5,000 dead and you can't pinpoint the cause?"

"No," the elderly woman replied,

"We've tested all of the letters that were found with some of the bodies." little put in, "the substance found on them was basically chalk, nothing harmful to the human body."

"Well then, why did so many people drop dead?" Smoker questioned, by now used to trusting the word of the young doctor,

"Well, the symptoms described by witnesses, and the data collected from the autopsies suggests...an extremely accelerated strain of the septicemic plague."

"...the plague. You...you did _not_ just tell me that they all died of the plague…"

"...Yes, yes she did." Chopper said

"My theory," Doctorine continued, "is that the chemical that triggered the onset of the disease was in that white powder. The letters created a sort of sterile, vacuum space, combined with a coating of an unknown substance on the paper itself to keep the chemical alive, making each envelope a small bioweapon. Once the powder was exposed to the air, the disease stayed alive long enough to infect anyone nearby, either through contact with the skin or inhalation, before dying off after making contact with the oxygen."

"Well that...that is not good." Smoker said lowly, "Not good at all. In fact, that would indicate a terrorist attack."

"Has anyone claimed responsibility for the attack yet? It's been almost two weeks now." the woman asked.

"No, it's been completely silent and _that_ is something I find highly disturbing. Who would kill this many people, making his mark on this city and striking fear into the hearts of all the civilians and _not_ speak up? It would suggest some _other_ motive that we can't even begin to figure out." Smoker replied,

"What are you going to do, Detective?" Chopper asked,

"...I'm going to go attempt to get some help." Smoker said tiredly, "I'm overwhelmed and need _someone_ to assist me."

* * *

 **DOFLAMINGO'S POV**

"Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile." Doffy said, glaring at his reflection in the mirror a vet had set up in his temporary enclosure.

Crocodile's plan had, admittedly, _sounded_ like it was going to work. It wasn't too difficult to pretend to be ill, laying around and eating very little for a couple of days. The goal had been to be taken to the clinic near the back entrance to the zoo. The security at that point was nowhere near as tight as the rest of the place. They had expected to be able to break out with relative ease. What they _hadn't_ expected was for the zookeepers to notice four completely different animals with the exact same symptoms and immediately assume that they were facing an outbreak of some new disease, resulting in the subsequent quarantine of all four of them in different facilities around the zoo. Crocodile had apparently not noticed that there were specific treatment and rehabilitation centers for the different categories of animals...meaning that he was alone in this awful building with only his reflection as company.

"I am getting very tired of being a bird." he muttered, still staring at his reflection, which he supposed the zookeepers would think was great, "when I find out who is responsible for this I am going to crush them and I will take _great_ pleasure in watching them burn." He turned his back to the mirror, glaring instead at the door,

"the police are probably still running around uselessly, they don't have a _clue_ what's going on." he snorted, "they don't stand a chance without quality leadership...Akainu's obviously not in charge of this investigation, or is involved in keeping it an unsolvable mystery somehow, not that his officers will ever notice, he's a skilled actor when it comes to hiding his...duplicity."

His musings were interrupted by the door opening and closing quickly, admitting one of the younger zookeepers that had been annoying him at frequent intervals. The young man carefully picked him up and turned him to face the mirror, trying not to stress the flamingo out too much.

"I don't want to stare in this stupid mirror you worm!" Doffy growled, head darting forward to peck at the offending hands. The zookeeper yelped in pain when the blow struck home, backing away quickly and clutching his now bleeding hand as he waited for one of his coworkers to open the door for him.

For a few minutes, Doflamingo had some peace before the door flew open once more. The next few moments consisted of gloved hands grabbing his beak to keep it shut, more of them keeping his wings out of harm's way, and a needle being jabbed into him before he was laid out on a table to "relax". Apparently, when he had first arrived at the zoo he had been labeled as "unpredictable" and "high-strung", meaning that the idiots took any outburst of his very seriously.

He sighed and stared up at the tv in the corner, watching as the reporter updated her viewers on the most recent stories...or the lack of updates on the most recent stories...the investigations were ongoing and literally nothing had changed.

" _If this hadn't happened to me, this would have been the perfect opportunity to vie for power. I could have taken down those annoying Charlottes in the confusion, the police are too busy to do anything about gang violence at the moment."_ he frowned, trying to figure out who could have had the ability to do something like this since turning humans into animals in an instant was no easy feat. His eyes widened as he remembered,

" _Caesar! He was missing for a while before this...but...what would he gain? Who gains from turning humans into animals?"_

The woman on the screen began talking about the last of the odd cases, the image changing to a picture of a familiar grinning face.

" _I'd be willing to bet that Law's roommate's case isn't isolated like they think."_ Doffy thought, " _he's probably in the same situation as the rest of us, though I can't imagine why...Little Law must be sooo worried."_ he cackled as darkly as a flamingo could, noting with amusement that that earned him some terrified looks from the zookeepers around.

"I'm not going to be in here forever," he muttered, "and when I get out, there'll be hell to pay."

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

"It's been three days since we _finally_ found a suspect and we have no idea where he is!" Sabo growled, staring down at a map of the city that was frustratingly free of targets.

"As we've discovered, corrollating our information and Pops', unlike the other Charlottes, Dogtooth is surprisingly secretive. His base has never been found." Marco sighed, "to be honest, I'm not sure where to go from here…"

"We brought food!" Thatch shouted, throwing the door open and holding up a bag as he entered, followed by two familiar faces.

"Zoro! Sanji!" Ace exclaimed, "It's so good to see you!"

"We ran into Thatch in town," Sanji explained as he shut the door behind him,

"We want to help." Zoro said, "Luffy's my best friend and I want to be part of finding him."

"We need all the help we can get." Ace admitted, surprising them both by throwing his arms around them in a tight hug before they could take more than a few steps into the room.

"Ace, let them move," Sabo drawled, "we need to fill them in on what we suspect if they're going to help out."

Once Sanji and Thatch had distributed the food, they settled on the couches and Sabo stood to talk.

"I'm just going to lay this out." he began, "From what we understand, Luffy was attacked in his apartment, for whatever reason stripped of his clothes, and dragged outside. From there, his kidnappers were then attacked by someone we suspect to be one Charlotte Katakuri,"

"Dogtooth?!" Zoro exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up

"You know him, Marimo?" Sanji asked as everyone's attention turned to the green haired man.

"...I fought him once...in the underground colosseum...never before have I fought someone with such bloodlust." Zoro replied seriously, "I was able to escape with my life, but not without losing _this_." he pointed to where his left eye had been.

"What does such a dangerous man want with Luffy?" Sanji asked no one in particular

"...we don't really know…" Sabo admitted, "that's a question we're _all_ asking."

"It looks like he just killed the kidnappers and..took off with Luffy." Ace interjected, " _and he didn't have his clothes!_ Who knows what he's doing to Lu!" the man's voice rose as he spoke until Marco grabbed his shoulder,

"Ace, calm down-yoi. We have many resources in this city and Pops' _complete_ support. We WILL find him."

"Dogtooth may be brutal, but he's never been known to hurt kids." Thatch put in, "and Luffy looks significantly younger than he is."

"he's always been tiny, the brat." Sanji snorted, "for once that might work in his favor."

"If you guys want to help," Sabo began, drawing the attention back to himself, "Zoro, I want you to ask around the underground fighting rings, even the colosseum, and see if you can find out where Dogtooth's subordinates tend to gather. Maybe if we can get our hands on one of his lackeys, we can force them to tell us where their base is."

"I'll go with him." Sanji put in, "he'll get lost otherwise."

"I will not!" Zoro growled, glaring at the other man,

"This coming from the guy who can't even walk from the campus to his own dojo without ending up on the opposite side of town!" Sanji shot back,

"Well at least I don't have a dartboard on my forehead!"

"Mosshead!"

"Womanizer!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" Thatch interrupted before it could come to blows, "That's _quite_ enough! We have things to do!"

"That's right." Sabo said darkly, "Dogtooth had better watch out. We're coming for him."

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy liked the rain. He liked how it looked as it fell. He liked the sound and the smell of the rain, especially with his heightened senses. He was grateful that Kuri, as he had taken to calling the tall man, had realized this and opened the window, leaving only the thin screen as a barrier from the outside world.

Katakuri stood from where he'd been lounging nearby, reading, and carefully stroked the kitten's fur. Luffy closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling for a moment as a purr came unbidden from his chest. He rolled over and grabbed at the man's massive hand with his comparably tiny paws (even though his paws were big for a cat his size), making Kuri chuckle a bit as he allowed the kitten to "catch" him and playfully bite down on his hand. Ever since Kuri saved him from the scary girl, Luffy found himself letting his guard down more and more, getting used to being a small kitten and actually acting like one. After Kuri played with him for a little while, he got up and headed for the door,

"I'll be back soon, King." he said as he left the room, leaving Luffy sprawled contentedly on the windowsill.

Luffy stretched before turning over and going back to watching the gentle rain outside, watching calmly for a few minutes before something caught his eye.

A big, colorful butterfly held his attention as it fluttered around in front of the window. It moved from side to side, looking for a dry place to land before settling on the screen, just out of reach. Luffy leapt to his feet and reared up onto his hind legs, planting his front paws on the screen for balance as he stretched to try and reach the little insect. He was _almost_ able to sniff at the butterfly's last set of legs, just a little farther and he'd maybe be able to get close to the delicate wings. He stretched, putting more of his weight on the screen, just a little farther and...the entire thing fell out of the window, taking Luffy with it, his tiny claws trapped in the mesh.

Luffy hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of his tiny body. He retracted his claws and lay there for a moment until he shot to his feet, wrinkling up his nose at the cold, wet feeling of the rain sinking into his fur. He looked back up at the window, immediately realizing that he wouldn't be able to get back inside that way. He _could_ make his way around the house to one of the doors and either meow until he got someone's attention, or wait there until Kuri inevitably noticed that he was missing and came looking for him...or, he could...have an adventure while waiting for someone to find him...the rain wasn't _that_ bad once he got used to it.

Luffy made up his mind and began his trek through the yard, padding along as the wet grass soaked his belly fur, not that he minded, he was having _an adventure!_ He lost track of time, exploring the surprisingly large yard, stalking beetles and pouncing on flowers as they swayed in the breeze. It was fantastic...until a loud clap of thunder made his fur stand on end.

" _...should look for the door…"_ he thought, eyeing the cloudy sky warily,

For a few minutes, it seemed as though the thunder that had startled him was the only one, a false alarm that he was thankful for as darkness fell. The sudden downpour, followed by an even louder peal of thunder than the previous had him running for what he hoped was Kuri's house.

Little paws met pavement and, for a brief second, Luffy was relieved, thinking he had found the porch. Blinded by the rain, he stumbled forward, searching for the door, only to fall a short distance into rushing water. It was then that he realized that he had gone _away_ from Kuri's house, not towards it, meaning that he had just fallen into the street and was being swept away by the runoff. He coughed and sputtered as the rushing water hit him in the face, struggling to escape the current. He was about to be swept into one of those big drains that had terrified him when he was little (the ones that maybe still scared him a bit, not that he would ever let Ace know that…), he just knew it.

He didn't think things could get any worse until he saw, through the rain, the headlights heading straight for him. Luffy meowed as loud as he possibly could, desperate for someone, _anyone_ , to save him. He didn't want to die, he couldn't, Ace and Kuri would be so sad if he died. He shut his eyes as the light of the approaching vehicle became painful, still crying out as best he could even as he braced for impact.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Authors' Note**

Hello again lovely readers! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. Thanks for all of the great feedback, you guys are great :)

 **Review Responses:**

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation** : Thanks for dropping another review (it's great that you invoked the sun god to curse lol). Not to worry there's lots of "juicy comfort fluff" in this story...as well as pain but.. There are indeed two of us! So glad you enjoy the fluff we have so far, we're really enjoying writing it!

 **Jordansdevil:** Frobin is the most chill couple, it's great and we love both of them (which is why we put them together). Appreciate the review and your feedback! :)

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** Your personal genies welcome you back to the story! We love all of the fleet but they probably won't appear in this story (just wait, they'll be in the next one ;) ) We both really like Doffy as a villain, we've been messing with him so far because it's hilarious but he'll definitely get his turn to be the evil man he's supposed to be. Can't say we've ever heard that Robin is an "overarching waifu" but that's great and we agree. Let's see...ASL fluff, definitely coming...KataLu cuteness is literally the point of the story (favorite ship lol)...Luffy being loved by mostly everything; he will get all of the love and hugs (and meat) because he is precious. Enjoy the chapter!

 **Guest:** Thanks for the review! It's _very_ true that everyone is VERY scared of Garp and his reaction to this situation. It's not going to be pretty.

 **Warnings:**

\- slight peril  
\- cat drugs  
\- attempted catnapping  
\- lots of fluff

* * *

 **LUCCI'S POV**

Lucci had always found the sound of thunder relaxing, even if it was louder thanks to his amplified hearing, which, at the moment, was picking up strange noises that put him on edge even as he tried to relax on Robin's front porch.

As the sounds grew louder, he noticed a car driving down the street, coming closer and closer as the sounds became what Lucci could only identify as cries of distress. Before he even knew what he was doing, the leopard had sprung to his feet, racing across the lawn and scooping something small, furry, and wet up into his mouth just before the car, one he recognized as belonging to someone a few houses down, splashed them on its way past.

" _...what...just happened?"_ Lucci wondered, even as he returned to the shelter of the porch, plopping the thing that he'd just saved down onto the welcome mat. The tiny bundle was vibrating, it was shaking so hard from both the cold and the fear that was still evident in the big eyes that stared up at him. Four legs, a tail, two massive ears. " _A kitten?"_ he thought incredulously, " _I just saved a cat?"_ Lucci sighed, " _instincts, huh?"_

"Th...thanks, for sa-saving m-m-me." the kitten forced out, drawing Lucci's attention away from his thoughts.

"Don't mention it." he replied, though it didn't seem to register to the tiny, shivering kitten. " _...I..what am I supposed to do now?"_ he wondered. Luckily, his instincts answered that for him. He picked the kitten up by the scruff and padded over to the door, proceeding to knock as best as he could with his tail. It took a moment but soon enough, the door opened, Robin staring down at him,

"Oh, hello ." she greeted. Lucci ignored her, walking into the house and to the living room, laying down in front of the fire and plopping the kitten onto his paws before beginning to groom the tiny creature.

"Oh, you've found a friend, how wonderful." Robin said, closing the door, "I'll make some tea while you warm up,"

"What a SUPERRRRRRRR storm!" Franky shouted as he walked into the room, not even glancing at the two felines sitting by his fireplace,

"Franky, we've got company." Robin called back as she went to the kitchen, "could you find them some blankets to help them warm up?"

"Comin' right up!" he replied, disappearing back the way he'd come.

Lucci paid no attention to the people, focusing on trying to get the kitten to stop shaking so hard. He did, however, look up when a pile of blankets was dumped on top of him, growling a little until hands managed to excavate him and the kitten, transforming the small pile into a cozy nest.

"No need to growl Leopard-bro, I know exactly what I'm doing!" Franky assured him, "'cause I'm superrrrrrr!" Lucci rolled his eyes and picked up the kitten, standing and circling a bit before laying back down and placing his charge gently on his paws once again. Robin smiled down at him as she placed the bowl of hot tea inside the nest of blankets,

"Jasmine tea, your favorite, if I recall." she said, Lucci looked up at her honestly not surprised,

" _It's Robin, after all. Of course she figured out who I am."_ he thought, dipping his head in thanks before moving to take a drink of his tea.

"You can talk too?" the kitten asked suddenly and Lucci snorted,

"Yes, obviously." he replied, "Am I to assume that you are a human as well?"

"How'd you know?" the kitten gasped, eyes wide

"...considering you are currently speaking to me…"

"Ah...that's really cool! I haven't met anyone like me since I was turned! My name's Monkey D. Luffy," he chirped, "what's yours?"

"huh…" Lucci replied, "You have no idea how many people are looking for you right now." he informed him.

"Shishishi, yeah." Luffy laughed, though his amusement didn't last too long, "I'm sure everyone's worried…especially Ace and Sabo…but it's not like I'm in danger anymore! Kuri's nice!"

"...and _who_ is this _Kuri_?" Lucci asked, eyes narrowed. Luffy's head tilted to the side, ears flopping

"hmmm, I think everyone just calls him Dogtooth." Lucci just stared down at the tiny black kitten.

" _So he really was kidnapped by the mob…"_ he thought, " _what a surprise."_

"What do you remember from when you were taken?"

"Well...I was really excited to see Ace! I ran home and there was a tasty donut on the counter and I figured it was from Ace so I took a bite and I was a cat! Can you believe it?" Luffy replied easily. Lucci nodded,

"Anything else?" he asked

"Then some jerks came and started chasing me around my own apartment! I tried to run outside but they caught me and stuffed me in a bag. Everything after that is kind of...fuzzy...I think Kuri found me, or maybe took me from them? I'm not sure."

" _This confirms the fact that the person behind this wants the animals alive."_ Lucci thought, " _but I'm still not sure why…"_

"Yes, quite the story." he said aloud, noticing that the kitten was waiting for him to reply, "Now I'm tired, and I'm sure you are as well. Go to sleep."

"But-" Luffy protested, only to find a paw bigger than his entire body pushing him down into the blankets.

"Sleep. These are good people. You are safe."

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri was freaking out. He'd left the room only briefly after spending a _very_ fun time playing with King before being unable to find him anywhere. Worse, he hadn't appeared even when food was offered. (He had discovered this to be a major weakness of his new pet).

King had only just started to open up to him, no longer backing away in fear every time he entered the room and now...he was gone?

"CRACKER!" Katakuri shouted, throwing his door open, "CRACKER COME HERE!"

"WHAT?!" his younger brother yelled back, opening the door to his own room and peering out.

"DID YOU TAKE KING?!"

"WHAT?! WHY WOULD I WANT YOUR CAT?! ISN'T HE IN YOUR ROOM LIKE HE ALWAYS IS?"

"NO HE'S NOT AND HE DIDN'T COME WHEN I OFFERED FOOD! SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG!"

"Calm down, Brother." Brulee said, walking out of her own room, "King is a very _very_ tiny cat, he's probably just sleeping somewhere in your room and you haven't found him yet."

"NO, HE DIDN'T COME WHEN I OFFERED FOOD!" Katakuri protested. Brulee sighed and took his arm,

"Come on, let's go look again. I'm sure he's fine. He's probably wondering why you're shouting so much." she soothed, pulling him back towards his room.

As they walked, Katakuri realized just how protective he was over this tiny cat. If something had happened to King it was probably all his fault and he didn't know what he would do...except maybe go find someone to kill...unless he could find the kitten…

When they entered his room, they began to search all of the nooks and crannies, looking even in the most improbable places. It was then that Katakuri heard the loud claps of thunder, realizing just how quickly the storm outside had developed. He then remembered that he had opened his window for King to get some fresh air and decided that he needed to close it to keep the rain from drenching his room.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he got closer to the window and saw, to his horror, that the screen was gone. Katakuri lunged forward, sticking his head...and most of his torso actually...out of the window, noticing the screen on the ground and no kitten in sight.

"Brother, what are you doing?!" Brulee exclaimed, "Get back inside! You're getting all wet! I don't want you getting a cold!"

Katakuri pulled himself back inside, grabbing his coat as he stalked towards the door.

"HE'S OUTSIDE! KING'S OUTSIDE ALL ALONE IN THIS WEATHER! I MUST GO FIND HIM!" he declared,

"Brother, he'll be fine he's-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" he interrupted, "KING...King...he doesn't like to be alone, and it'll be dark soon…"

"I understand, Brother, but you cannot go out in this weather!" Brulee said, "King is a smart cat, he probably found shelter somewhere nearby. I'm sure he will be back _completely unscathed_ in the morning." Katakuri sighed,

"...you're right, he's a smart cat." he conceded, "Very well. I will wait until morning. BUT if he is NOT back by then, we will _all_ be out searching for him, no matter what the weather is doing!"

To say Katakuri got no sleep that night was an understatement. He kept envisioning his poor, defenseless kitten all alone in the stormy night.

" _What if he fell down a drain? What if some wild animal found him?! What if he was hit by a car?! What if he can't find his way back?! What if he drowned?! What if-"_ Katakuri had no idea how long he lay there as increasingly horrible (and impossible) scenarios flashed through his mind. He was so lost in his thoughts that the first time Cracker yelled for him, he almost didn't hear him,

"BROTHER!" Cracker shouted, "BROTHER, YOUR CAT IS AT THE DOOR!"

Katakuri practically flew out of his room and through the house to the front door, stopping dead at the sight of King hanging from the mouth of a _massive_ leopard.

"Mrowr!" King cried, obviously annoyed with the larger feline as he twisted and swung in its mouth, attempting to bat at the jaws that held him securely off the ground.

"So...this was not expected…" Cracker commented, staring at the scene, "what do we do?"

At that, the leopard snorted and gently lowered King to the ground, using one giant paw to nudge him towards Katakuri, who managed to overcome his shock at the unusual situation with the sight of his kitten stumbling over his own paws in his attempt to get to him.

"King!" he exclaimed, kneeling to scoop the tiny creature into his arms, "I'm so glad you're safe!" (the latter said as he thoroughly examined him to make sure that he wasn't injured)

The leopard turned to leave, though not before giving the humans a pointed glare, practically strutting across the yard before breaking out in a run, quickly disappearing down the street.

"...did that leopard just threaten us?" Cracker asked in disbelief, turning to look at his siblings in disbelief.

Katakuri didn't see this though and he wasn't really listening, having already turned to head back to his room.

"Brulee, call Hogback and make an appointment for King within the next two hours. Tell him I want him chipped." he called over his shoulder, not waiting for a reply before shutting the door behind him.

Katakuri removed his scarf and carried King into his bathroom first, using a hand towel to gently dry off the parts of his fur that were still wet from being carried around by a leopard. After that, he carried him over to the bed, sitting down and using his fingers in an attempt to straighten out the kitten's frazzled fur. He smiled as King purred, blinking sleepily up at him and yawning.

"When did you become so important to me?" Katakuri asked quietly, gently scratching under King's chin, "I guess it's true that animals can worm their way into the most walled off hearts, not that that's too surprising. I heard that animals are the embodiment of the purest love on earth."

King mewed quietly, almost in response it seemed, nuzzling his face into the man's hand.

"Well, I'm glad you're back and now I think we should take a nap before arrives." he lay back, closing his eyes, only for them to pop open again when he felt tiny paws walking across his chest. "King...wha-"

"Mew." the kitten interrupted, walking up to the man's face and rubbing his side against him a few times before settling down and beginning to knead his torn jaw.

Katakuri didn't know what to do with this. There was a reason he kept his face hidden, even from his family, only Brulee and his immediate siblings knew his biggest secret. He hadn't been worried about taking his scarf off in front of the cat but he'd _never_ thought that King would be so accepting of the gruesome scarring...to the point of _licking_ it apparently.

"No, King, thank you but please don't lick my face, that hurts." he said, bringing a hand up to pet the kitten who merely purred and licked him again before settling into a little ball, curled up under his chin.

A couple of hours later Brulee woke the pair to announce that had arrived and was waiting in the dining room. Katakuri groaned, wishing he'd given himself more time, and put his scarf on before taking King to meet the vet once again.

"Fossfossfossfoss!" Hogback laughed, after listening to the events that had brought him back to Katakuri's house, "A leopard you say? How interesting!"

"Yes, but my main concern is making sure that, were this to happen again, I would be able to find King and not have to to rely on large predators with maternal instincts."

"Fossfossfoss! We can do that easily!" the vet assured him, "In fact, I brought all of the equipment so that I could do it right here. But first, let's have little King relax a bit. The procedure isn't painful but it helps me with placement if he's not tense." Having said that, Hogback produced what looked like an individually wrapped alcohol wipe, "This, when rubbed on King's face and the area around him, will create what I like to call a _happy cat space_. He'll be very relaxed."

Hogback tore open the packet and pulled out the folded wipe inside, reaching to gently rub it on King's face, focusing on the areas that held scent glands, before he moved to wipe the rest on the table.

"...is he okay?" Katakuri asked, watching as King blinked, disoriented. He stumbled around for a moment before flopping down and rubbing his face on the table, purring loudly.

"He's fine, just enjoying being a _very_ happy cat." Hogback replied, reaching for the tools he would need

Katakuri didn't really pay too much attention to the actual procedure, too preoccupied with King's odd behavior to care much about what the vet was doing. He saw the chip go in, knew that Hogback had activated it and that King was registered under his name, and nodded in satisfaction as his ownership of the kitten was cemented.

"Well, is there anything else that you need while I'm here?" Hogback asked, packing away the last of his various tools.

"He'll go back to normal...right?" Katakuri asked, watching King flop around.

"Yes, yes, the effects were a bit exaggerated, likely due to his small size and youth, but they should wear off soon. He'll be fine. You have a healthy little kitten."

A few hours after the vet left and King was back to normal, Katakuri found himself in a pet store feeling completely out of place, King perched on his shoulder. It had taken _a lot_ of convincing to get this little field trip with King, just the two of them, no guards, no annoying younger siblings. It was just Katakuri and King attempting to look for more cat things to make the kitten feel more at home.

That being said, he had no idea where to start and everyone else in the store was _definitely_ afraid of him.

"Alright King," Katakuri muttered, "I'm going to need you to pick things out, I have no idea what you like." He was almost positive that King nodded in response.

" _I have such a strange cat."_ he mused, walking to the cat section and placing the kitten on the floor.

"Go on, pick out whatever you want." he encouraged, watching as the tiny creature began walking down the aisle, studying everything as he went. Katakuri followed him for a moment before stopping to examine an odd looking toy hanging on the wall.

"Oh well aren't you cute!" someone exclaimed. Katakuri's head whipped around at the answering, mildly panicked mewl that the stranger received in response. Somehow, in the few seconds he had taken his eyes off of the kitten, a young man had appeared in the aisle and _picked up_ King. He frowned and stalked over to where the guy was attempting to calm the struggling kitten, glaring down at him

"That is my cat." he growled, "I would like him back please. I don't believe he likes you."

The young man paled but didn't move.

"I don't think I want to." he sneered, "I've been wanting a new pet and, I don't see a collar."

"Oh trust me, Punk." Katakuri said, moving closer, "you don't want to go there." The two men glared at each other, waiting to see what the other would do while King hissed angrily in the stranger's too-tight grip.

"Yohohoho!" a new voice cut in, "What seems to be the problem here, gentlemen?"

They turned to see possibly the oldest man either of them had ever seen, practically a skeleton with an afro and a massive smile.

"I can call security if needed,"

"Tch." the stranger said instead of responding to the question, unceremoniously dropping the kitten into Katakuri's outstretched hand before stalking off.

"It would seem that the problem is resolved." Katakuri said, pulling King close protectively.

"Yohohoho, well, I'm glad I could be of assistance!" the elderly man laughed, squinting at him, "I see you have yourself a lovely little...beaver!"

"Beaver?" Katakuri questioned, "You mean my cat?"

"Yes! That's what I said! Your cat! Allow me to assist in getting you whatever you need!"

The man, Brook, proved to be very helpful, even if he was a bit slow and almost completely blind. King also seemed to like him, rubbing up against the man's legs a lot, which obviously meant that this was a good guy. Katakuri had found that King was a good judge of character.

After forty-five minutes of picking out anything and everything the cat could possibly want, they came to the aisle Katakuri really wanted to go to, the collars. With what had happened earlier, he wasn't taking _any_ chances. King would have a collar that showed just who he belonged to, one that would only be taken off when _absolutely necessary._

King walked slowly amongst the collars, sniffing at some and completely ignoring others. He seemed to like the bright red ones that they passed, pausing to study those the longest whenever he came to one. Eventually, King came running back and climbed straight up Katakuri's pant leg, then his jacket, until he could perch on his shoulder.

"Find one you like?" he asked and King chirped happily.

The man walked over to where he had last seen the kitten stop and turned to study the different ones in this section. He picked up a few of the collars, the cat turning away from each one until he picked up the last red collar in the section on the highest rack. This one was the bright red that the kitten obviously liked more than other colors, made to last no matter how much he grew with some new, insanely stretchy material, a small golden bell in the shape of a...hat?...hanging from the center.

"This one?" Katakuri asked and, if King's purrs were anything to go by, he had finally found the right one.

"If you like that one," Brook said, "we can have the charm engraved with his name and information. It'll only take a few minutes. In fact, if that's all for today, you can go ahead and start checking out while it's being personalized."

"Thank you for all of your help, Brook." Katakuri said,

"Yohohoho! It's my pleasure, young man!" Brook replied happily, leading the way to the front of the store.

The cashier, who had an unusually long nose, was especially afraid of him for some reason, even though Brook assured the young man that there was nothing to fear, loudly. This employee, whose name tag said he was called Usopp, proved to be another person King liked, the kitten weaving through his legs as he finished scanning the last of their items.

When Katakuri _finally_ arrived home from his "field trip" he was exhausted.

" _Who knew having a pet could be so taxing."_

"Brother, you're back!" Cracker exclaimed the moment he crossed the threshold, "Did you still want to interrogate Morgan?"

"I'll do it later," Katakuri said, waving off his younger brother "I am exhausted."

He made his way to his room, not bothering to unpack most of the things he'd bought, only one thing even making it out of it's bag. The collar.

"King, come here." He practically ordered and the kitten jumped up onto the man's lap as Katakuri sat on the edge of his bed, the tiny cat meowing happily. He held as still as could be expected of a kitten as the red collar was fastened securely around his neck, little hat-shaped bell and the tag bearing his name and owner, displayed proudly in front.

"Glad that's taken care of." Katakuri muttered, breathing a sigh of relief. He then fell back against his bed and fell asleep almost instantly, barely registering the soft tinkling of the bell as King made himself comfortable in his scarf.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Authors' Note:**

Welcome back, wonderful readers! Here's chapter nine, it was...interesting to write XD Hope you enjoy!

 **Review Responses:**

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** *monster screech* glad you loved it! There is pretty much never ending Luffy cuteness...Poor Lucci didn't even know what he was doing, oh well, it worked out alright in the end ;) We have to stick the Straw Hats in where we can because they're great. The "happy cat" scenario was actually based on a true story involving Author Lu's cat! Yay KataLu bonding!

 **Jordansdevil:** Thanks for the review! Lucci helped Luffy because his instincts took over, it wasn't really a conscious decision and then he just went with it...we made him not quite as much of a jerk as well.

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** So...definitely just read the chapter in regards to that first bit... Both Lucci and Katakuri are great and we just had to give them a connection with each other through Luffy, even if it was small. We are also glad we made Lucci not quite as much of a jerk, though he seems confused by it. ...that was also _quite_ confusing to read but we got it eventually...we think...most of the Straw Hats have made an appearance, some have bigger roles than others. Unfortunately, Jimbei and Carrot won't be in this story, though we love them very much. As always, we love reading your reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Warnings:**

\- panic attacks  
\- every misunderstanding under the sun  
\- torture  
\- Garp

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy was rudely awakened far too early in the morning by Kuri groaning and getting out of bed. He tried to keep him there so he could mooch off of his warmth but no such luck. The man merely stoked his fur a few times and told him to go back to sleep...while taking the scarf that he'd been using as a bed. Disappointed, he decided to go to plan B, curling up on his favorite of Kuri's pillows and glaring at the man for a moment before shutting his eyes again.

His sleep was not nearly as quiet as it had been with Kuri next to him.

 _Luffy was running. There was fire everywhere they turned and Sabo was unconscious. Ace tried to carry them both, yelling for him to stop crying, telling him they would be fine. He almost believed him, until their pursuer caught up, a nasty sneer on his face. Ace put him down and told him to run. He didn't want to, they both knew how strong Bluejam was, but he obeyed. Luffy sprinted through the burning rubble, the smoke blurring his vision. He'd thought that he'd taken off towards an area that the fire hadn't yet reached but, in his panic, couldn't be certain, not when the screams of others still filled the hot air and he dared not slow down. The loud groaning of metal cut through the other horrifying sounds as a large beam gave way. Luffy had no time to react, he couldn't even see the thing coming before it was there, pinning his small body to the ground as he added his own screams to the rest._

Luffy shot up, sitting straight up in bed, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to calm himself as he whispered,

"I'm okay. Ace is okay. Sabo is okay." he shut his eyes, focusing on regulating his breathing, "what can you feel? Blankets, Kuri's pillows." his heartbeat began slowing down, "what can you hear? Birds outside. Kuri's family in the rest of the house." The shaking in his hands calmed and he opened his eyes, "What can you see? Kuri's room, my hands." Luffy took one more deep breath, fully grounded. The attack was over. Then he looked back down at his hands,

"Wait...hands?!" now that he was fully aware, Luffy realized that he had been _actually speaking_ , the meows that he had gotten used to in the past couple of weeks were now actual words!

"I'm back!" he exclaimed, leaping up from the bed, only to fall flat on his face as lost his balance, "...hmm...out of practice.." It was there on the ground that he realized that he was not _completely_ back yet, as his long, fluffy tail swished back and forth. Luffy grabbed the appendage and smiled, "that's...really cool actually…" he commented before trying to stand again, this time being very careful.

As he finally made it to his feet, Luffy caught sight of himself in the mirror. It would appear that the tail wasn't the only feline feature he had kept, two black cat ears poked up through his messy hair as though they had always been there, twitching as he reached up to poke at them. Then he realized that he was also completely naked except for the collar he'd picked out the day before.

"Wow! This is a really stretchy collar...Ah, I bet Kuri won't mind if I use his clothes…" he said brightly, making his way over to the man's dresser. He rummaged through the options, finally deciding on a black tshirt that, once he had slipped it over his head, came down to his knees, one side slipping off of his shoulder. "shishishi, even though I'm bigger now, Kuri's still so big!" Luffy laughed before he spotted the man's personal phone sitting on the nightstand.

"OH! I need to call Ace!" Luffy exclaimed, picking up the device and punching in the password he'd seen Kuri use multiple times. He frowned as he moved to the keypad, "...what was Ace's number again?"

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Ace was feeling pretty great. It had been a long time since he'd been able to let loose all of his anger and pent up frustration, too long. He was done crying. He would find Luffy no matter what.

These thoughts ran through his head as he let his fist fly once again, landing an insanely satisfying punch in the pathetic man's face.

"Hit me all you want!" the man spat, "I'll never talk!" Ace's answering grin was predatory,

"Oh? Trying to be tough, are we?" he asked, "Well, you must not know who I am." He didn't wait for the man's response, turning away and walking over to where he had laid out some of his favorite tools.

Ace studied the table's contents for a moment before glancing over at where Sabo sat, watching.

"Did you want a piece of him?" he asked,

"No," the blonde answered, "I had my fun with the last one we captured." Thatch snorted at that,

"You know, believe it or not, it's hard for someone to talk with their skull crushed." Sabo shrugged,

"He made me angry, what else was I supposed to do?" Ace laughed, turning his attention back to the task at hand as he removed his shirt. The captive gasped as the large tattoo was revealed,

"w-what does Whitebeard want with us?"

"The one called Dogtooth has stolen someone very precious to me." Ace informed the man, stalking back over to him and grabbing him by the front of his shirt so that he could pull him closer as a crazed smirk stole across his face, "and you're going to help me get him back."

"What are you talking about?!" the grunt protested, "We haven't touched any of Whitebeard's family! We have no reason to! He rules a completely different city and we don't have a death wish!"

"The person that Dogtooth took is not officially a Whitebeard." Marco said calmly, "His name is Monkey D Luffy, that ring any bells?"

"The kid from the news?! We didn't have anything to do with that!"

Ace's fist landed in the man's gut the second the words were out of his mouth, followed by a movement too quick for the eyes to see, Ace's hand jabbing into the man's hip joint and popping the bone out of its socket.

"I don't believe you," he growled as the prisoner screamed, "All the evidence points to him."

"...I...I sw...I swear we don't have him!" the grunt gasped, fighting for air, tears streaming down his face "We have a few prisoners yes, but none of them are the kid!"

At this, Ace decided to dislocate the man's other leg before snapping his clavicle with a single hit.

"Why don't we let him _stew_ for a while?" Sabo asked, noting that his brother was getting a bit too...fired up...to properly interrogate their prisoner, if they let him continue, Ace would just be playing with the man instead of trying to get any actual information, "Maybe then he'll be a bit more cooperative."

"Oh! That's a great idea," Ace agreed

"We just finished putting the steel plates on it and everything!" Thatch put in, "I'll take him down myself."

"Make sure he doesn't die, Thatch." Marco ordered, "We still need him alive."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Thatch replied, moving forward to take their prisoner down from where he hung so that he could escort him to the modified sauna.

"I need a drink." Ace said suddenly, stalking out of the improvised torture room and into the kitchen,

"We are sure that Garp's not coming back anytime soon, right?" Sabo asked, trailing behind his brother.

"He's been out of the country for nearly a decade," Ace snorted, "He's completely isolated from the rest of the world wherever he is, it'll be fine."

"Yeah but...borrowing his estate...it kinda makes me nervous." Sabo admitted, looking around the spacious kitchen.

"Makes for a better home base than a hotel room." Ace pointed out as he pulled a beer from the fridge. Before Sabo could reply, Ace's phone began to ring. He sighed and pulled the thing out, noting that the caller was unknown before picking it up,

"Yes, who's this?" he asked, taking a drink, only to spit it out all over the floor as disturbingly familiar voice replied,

"ACE, MY BOY! MY GRANDPA SENSES WERE TINGLING! WERE YOU BAD-MOUTHING ME BEHIND MY BACK?"

"G...Gramps!" Ace managed to reply as Sabo's mouth dropped open, "Weren't you on a secret mission or something and unable to contact _all_ family members?"

"Oh, right! I decided to retire...yesterday!" Garp replied,

"...retire?" Ace asked in disbelief,

"Yes! Luffy sent me the sweetest I love you Grandpa card! The drawing on the front was...well...it sucked...I think it was supposed to be me...but Luffy sent it so I love it anyway! It made me think about all of the years I've missed with my grandchildren, so I've decided to make it up to you and come home."

" _Why? Of all the times for him to suddenly have a heart…"_ Ace resisted the urge to slam his head into the wall and replied as happily as he could,

"Oh! That's...that's great…"

"You don't sound too happy, Ace." Garp commented, "Put Luffy on, he'll appreciate my news! I actually tried to call him first but he wouldn't answer…"

Ace's eyes widened and he glanced briefly at Sabo, who began to vehemently shake his head as he realized what his brother was about to do,

"OH! Look who just walked in! I'm sure your favorite grandson, Sabo, would love to hear the good news!" with that, he shoved the phone into the blonde's hands, ignoring the glare sent his way, and taking a long drink from his beer.

"Garp!" Sabo exclaimed, his attempt at a happy tone much more convincing than Ace's had been, "How are you?"

"Y-yes, I graduated high school, Garp, and college…"

"I'm a journalist."

"I don't take political sides, I'm neutral."

"NO, I don't still sleep with a teddy bear" (Ace snorted at that)

"Oh, um, Luffy's at a...friend's house, I...think he forgot to take his phone…"

"I'll tell him you called."

"No, he's still single as far as I know."

"Ah...you're coming home in a month...that's exciting!" Sabo looked at Ace, frowning.

"No, no one's touched your house, Garp. We've been looking after it very carefully."

"Yes,yes….love you too….I'll tell them...okay….bye" Sabo hung up and threw the phone at Ace,

"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT! I'M NOT EVEN RELATED TO HIM!"

"WELL I DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO HIM AND YOU'RE MUCH BETTER AT KEEPING A COOL HEAD OVER THIS STUFF!" Ace shot back. Sabo sighed,

"Well, now we've got less than a month to find Luffy. If Garp comes back and he's still missing, we're all going to die." Ace nodded his agreement, attention focused on cleaning up the beer he'd spit out all over the floor, and groaned as his phone rang again. He answered without even looking at the caller id,

"Look, Gramps-" he began but was interrupted by the caller saying,

"Ace! It's me! Luffy!"

"LUFFY?!" Ace shouted, "EVERYONE GET IN HERE NOW!"

"Eh, Ace, don't yell into the phone." Luffy complained, "It hurts my ears!"

"Hold on, Lu, I'm putting you on speaker." Ace said, ignoring the boy's whining as Marco, Thatch, Zoro (who had brought them their most recent prisoner), and Mihawk ran into the room to join them. Sabo hadn't even managed to move yet, shocked.

"LU, ARE YOU OKAY?!" Ace shouted once he'd put the phone on speaker, "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Aceeee, stop yelling!" Luffy whined, "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE KIDNAPPED?!"

"Ace, calm down," Sabo cut in, finally getting over his shock, "You have to stop yelling."

"Sabo, you're there too?" Luffy asked, "When did you come back?"

"That's...that's not important Luffy." Ace said, calming a bit, "I need you to tell me where you are so that we can come get you."

"Oh, I'm at Kuri's house." came the response, "He's really nice,"

"Luffy, who the heck is Kuri?" Zoro asked

"Zoro! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while!" Luffy laughed, "wait, are you guys having a party without me?"

"Luffy, focus." Sabo said, "Answer the question."

"Kuri? You know, Charlotte Katakuri?" Luffy said, "He's not as mean as you guys said he was. He feeds me and and plays with me and even lets me use his scarf as a pillow!"

"Excuse me?!" Ace exclaimed, "He does WHAT?"

"Calm down, Ace, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding," Sabo put in, "this is Lu after all. That's great Lu. Are you locked up? Can you escape? How did you get a phone?"

"Locked up? I guess the door's locked but Kuri always locks his door so his younger siblings don't mess with me...and he doesn't open the window anymore after what happened last time." Luffy informed them, "He always leaves his phone in his room when he has meetings."

Sabo couldn't find anything to say to that, staring at the phone in horror.

"Are...are you telling me that you're locked in his bedroom?" Ace asked, sounding far calmer than he felt

"Yep!" Luffy replied, "His bed is huge! And it's really comfy."

No one moved or said anything with this revelation, only snapping out of it when Luffy said,

"Hello? You still there?"

Mihawk grabbed the phone from Ace, who was still in shock, before beginning his own line of questioning,

"Hello Luffy, my name is Dracule Mihawk and I'm a private investigator working with your brothers. I want you to answer me with either yes or no. Are you in any immediate danger?"

"No,"

"Are you restrained in any way?"

"uh, no?" Mihawk frowned at the uncertainty in the boy's voice,

"Luffy, are you restrained in any way?" he asked again,

"Well, it's not like I'm tied up or something." Luffy replied, "Kuri did get me a collar yesterday though. He let me pick it out and everything!"

Ace fainted.

* * *

 **SABO'S POV**

Sabo didn't even care that Ace had fainted, actually, he wasn't paying much attention to anything other than the detective's questions and the words coming out of Luffy's mouth.

"Is that so?" Mihawk managed, "Well, if he doesn't hurt you does he do anything...else?" he asked, ignoring the way Sabo turned green at the thought,

"Anything else?" Luffy asked, "We take naps together? His clothes are surprisingly soft, though he tends to wear leather most of the time. Yeah, today is actually the first time I've gotten to wear one of his shirts! It's pretty big on me though."

At this, Thatch had to run to stop Zoro from running out the door, unsheathed sword in hand.

"I see." Mihawk said, continuing as though none of this was happening, "And what led to you having to wear one of his shirts?"

"Oh, well I was naked when I woke up this morning so I had to find something to wear." Luffy replied casually, "I mean, I guess I still have my ears and a tail...that bit's why I'm just wearing a shirt."

Sabo lunged for the phone,

"Luffy, where are you?!" he growled, "We need to know as much as you can tell us! We are coming to get you!"

"Um, well -" Luffy began but before he could finish he was cut off by the sound of the phone dropping to the floor.

"Luffy?!" Sabo asked, "Lu, are you there? Answer me!"

The only response they got was the sound of shuffling, something jostling the phone a few times, and Luffy groaning in pain before the sound was cut off, replaced with something that sounded a lot like a high pitched whine.

"IF YOU HURT HIM, I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" Sabo roared, assuming the worst. The next thing they heard was a soft,

"Mrow?"

"Cat?" Thatch asked before Ace's phone died.

"Nonononono," Sabo sputtered, "Why don't you ever charge your phone, Ace?!" He glared over at his unconscious brother, who Marco had left on the floor, before spinning to face Mihawk, "Can you trace the call?"

"No, _I_ cannot. But the police should be able to." the man replied,

"Thatch, get Ace up. Marco, we'll use your car. We're going over to the police station _right now_ and Smoker _will_ be tracing this call _."_ Sabo ordered, "Luffy's in more danger than we thought possible."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Authors' Note**

The cuteness continues! Here's chapter ten, have fun! :)

 **Review Responses**

 **akdjhs** : Love the review, it was hilarious (and we agree, Katakuri doesn't deserve such slander) Glad you're enjoying the story! Since you were so disappointed that Carrot and Jimbei weren't going to show up in this one, we are reconsidering our choices...we shall see...

 **Jordansdevil:** You're right, that's one of Luffy's gifts, he makes everything more entertaining...for us anyway...poor Ace is going to go grey early with all of this stress. Appreciate the review!

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** Hello again! On the cat ears and tail...we were just...enhancing his cuteness, as is our sworn duty as One Piece fans ;) Sometimes Zoro can be more protective than Ace and Sabo so we had to put him in there, definitely a fun scene to visualize. It's a good thing that Mihawk is so chill, having to deal with this particular group for this long. The others will turn back eventually but Luffy is special...read on and see :)

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** We completely agree with you that Luffy is too precious and adorable for words. It will only get better ;) Thanks for the review!

 **Warnings**

\- Torture  
\- Death  
\- Distressed tshirt  
\- RIP Marco's coffee (and Garp's favorite mug)

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri didn't think he used to hate going to meetings quite as much as he did now.

"What do you mean the Whitebeard Family is targeting us?" he asked and Mont d'Or sighed,

"It seems that they believe that we, or more specifically, _you_ have the kid that's been missing." he replied, "Apparently they took it personally as the boy is Fire Fist Ace's little brother." Katakuri groaned and buried his face in his hands,

"How many times do I have to say it? I DO NOT HAVE THE KID! I have no interest in him nor do I have any reason to have taken him!"

"Yes," Mont d'Or said, "but apparently everyone, including the Whitebeard Family, believes that you have him. We must be prepared in case the situation escalates further, this is grounds for war after all." Katakuri frowned,

"I will not let that happen. A fight with Whitebeard would endanger all of you and, as your older brother, it is my duty to keep you safe. Do we know which members of the Whitebeard Family are in the city?"

"It is unclear exactly how many but at least three of the commanders have been seen. The Phoenix, Fire Fist, and Twin Blades."

"Contact the Phoenix." Katakuri ordered, "He's reasonable enough. Tell him that I wish to meet him and the others. We need to clear up this misunderstanding before more of our people are hurt."

"Of course," Mont d'Or replied and Katakuri turned his attention to Cracker,

"Cracker, what have you learned from Morgan?"

"Nothing new." came the response, "I think we've learned all we can from him, though that wasn't much."

"Then I shall dispose of him for you." Katakuri said, "I'm in the mood to kill someone. Anything else to report?" He nodded at the lack of answers and stood, "Meeting adjourned."

Katakuri walked back to his room, a bit anxious to see how King was doing given that he'd been glared at for leaving earlier that morning.

" _It's really not fair how cute cats can be when they're angry."_ he mused as he opened his door.

He was surprised to find one of his tshirts crawling along the ground, meowing in distress.

"King?" he asked, scooping the bundle up into his arms and extricating his kitten from the fabric, "What were you...did I leave this out?" King, of course, had no answer for him, diving into his scarf the moment he was free of the shirt.

Katakuri reached up to pet the cat as he went to return his shirt to the drawer where it belonged, ending up accidentally kicking his phone across the floor as he went.

"...why is my phone in the middle of the floor?" If the phone hadn't been unlocked he might have assumed that King had just knocked it off of the nightstand while exploring but the device was unlocked and open to the list of recent calls, the most recent having ended only a few minutes before he'd walked into the room. Katakuri frowned at the unfamiliar number wondering which of his siblings had had the nerve to enter his room and mess with King...as well as how they had known his password.

" _I'll have to have words with Brulee, our younger siblings need a reminder of what is not acceptable in this house."_ He took King with him as he stalked out of his room in search of Brulee. When he found her in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast he carefully pulled King from his scarf and said,

"I need you to look after King for a bit while I dispose of our friend."

"Of course, Brother," Brulee replied, carefully taking the kitten from his hands, "I'll see if he would like any of our leftovers."

"Oh he will," Katakuri snorted, "I'll leave you to it then, and I want to speak with you later."

A few minutes later, down in the interrogation room, Katakuri studied the man he had captured. He wasn't looking quite as awful as he could have been, given how long he had been trapped in there with only Cracker for company, but he definitely didn't look great. He was surprised by the presence of another person in the room,

"Oh! Dellinger, I forgot you were still here." Katakuri admitted, "How have you been? Enjoying your stay?" of course, he received only silence as an answer so he kept talking, "You should be happy to hear that your suffering will end today, though it will likely get worse before it gets better."

Katakuri moved over to the wall that held a number of torture implements and picked up a container that sat on a table in one corner, contemplating how he should go about this now that he had two people he could have fun with instead of one. He turned back to his guests and opened the container, pouring a bit on the legs and feet of each of them.

"Don't mind this, just...you look a bit cold." he commented, setting the container down before taking a matchbox off the table and lighting one, "this should help."

The flames spread from Morgan to Dellinger, burning what was left of the pants they had been wearing before settling in to eat away at their skin. Katakuri nodded, seeing that the flames showed no signs of going out, before turning back to his wall of weapons and selecting a rather nice, leather cat o'nine tails.

"You know, there are a few different versions of this weapon." he informed the suffering men as he circled around behind them, "those the sailors use are made of rope. I suppose that was so that they wouldn't be too worn down by the salt from the sea air. The leather ones were used by the military for corporal punishment." he swung the whip through the air, bringing it down hard on Morgan's back, "care to guess which one I've chosen?"

Katakuri did his best to ensure that both of his guests received the same amount of attention, making sure that their backs were both completely raw and ruined before he found himself bored with the activity. He sighed and returned the whip to it's place on the wall before moving to the hose they kept for cleaning up the room and turning it on, pressure as high as it could go. He sprayed both men down, watching the last of the flames flicker out of existence before grabbing his trident and swinging at the ropes holding both of them in the air.

"Well, it's been fun." he said, turning to leave. He shut the door firmly behind him and flipped the switch that electrified the floor of the room, allowing cleanup to be a bit easier. If luck was on their side, Dellinger and Morgan would have already been dead before they experienced the pain of their blood literally boiling and exploding out of them. Katakuri seriously hoped that luck had not been on their side.

Katakuri wanted to immediately go and retrieve King from Brulee but realized that he was covered in blood, a feeling that, ironically, he disliked. After a brief shower and changing his clothes into something more comfortable, he checked the kitchen, frowning when he found it empty. Brulee's room was the next place Katakuri checked but, again, no one was there. Finally, he ended up in the parlor where he was met with an...amusing, sight. Running up to him, was King, dressed in what appeared to be a hooded puppy onesie, the ears flopping around his face as he meowed excitedly.

"Brulee, what is this?" Katakuri asked, bending to scoop his cat up into his arms.

"Do you like it?" Brulee asked, "I've been working on it for about a week now." Katakuri looked down at King's large eyes, head tilted to the side framed by the floppy ears.

"...are you planning on making more?" Brulee smirked at that as she said,

"I can, any requests?"

"...well...there's...there's one.." Katakuri began, gently pushing the hood off of King's head so that he could scratch his ears,

"Yes?" Brulee prompted

"...would it be possible to make a cinnamon-twist donut onesie?" he asked quietly, hiding his blush with his scarf, as Brulee looked at him knowingly

"A wonderful suggestion, Brother." she said, "I will try my best."

Katakuri nodded his thanks, placing King into his scarf where the kitten happily snuggled into his warmth.

"So, how'd the visit with our friends go?" Brulee asked,

"It went well enough, I enjoyed it." Katakuri replied, petting King and enjoying the little purr he could hear,

"Oh good, I take it they've left us then?"

"Yes, they're both gone, someone will need to clean the room they stayed in."

"I'll get someone to do that before anything becomes too...smelly."

"If that's all then, I'm going to retire to my room. Thank you for looking after King and for...you know..." Katakuri said and his sister laughed,

"It'll be done soon." she assured him as he turned to leave.

"Oh," he stopped and turned, "would you happen to know if any of our younger siblings went in my room?"

"Not if they value their lives." Brulee responded, "I have made it _extremely_ clear that no one is to enter that room except for me or you. Why?"

"I have reason to believe that someone entered my room, used my phone to call someone, and stuck King in one of my tshirts…" Katakuri said, feeling King tense up in his scarf at that. He reached up to pet the kitten, "Don't worry, King, whoever it was is gone now and they wouldn't dare try something so brash again." he assured him, though that only seemed to make the small creature shake harder.

"I'll speak with Mont d'Or and see if there's any possibility of an intruder." Brulee said, "And I'll be sure to warn our younger brothers and sisters not to enter your room...again."

"Thank you." Katakuri said, leaving the room and heading for his own, attention focused on his distressed cat.

Katakuri shut the door behind him and gently took King out of his scarf, moving to sit on the bed so that he could remove the onesie, which he carefully folded and placed on his nightstand. Katakuri pulled the kitten close as he lay back on his bed, hoping that he would begin to calm down. Whoever broke in obviously scared King and _no one_ scares his cat, not on his watch.

* * *

 **SANJI'S POV**

Sanji fought back a yawn as he pulled on his jacket, preparing to head to work. He was straightening his tie when a loud thump came from next door, followed by a string of curses. He snorted and banged on the wall to get his neighbor's attention before shouting,

"Oi Marimo! Some people are still trying to sleep! It's only five a.m., why are you even awake?"

"None of your business, Swirly Brow!" came the reply. Sanji wondered, as he did every morning, how they hadn't been kicked out of this apartment complex yet from noise complaints alone. He grabbed his keys and left, kicking Zoro's door as he walked past...a bit too hard as the door flew open.

"You have a crappy door, Moss Head." he commented,

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T _INSIST_ ON KICKING IT EVERY MORNING IT WOULDN'T BE SO CRAPPY!" Zoro shouted, "GO TO WORK, LOVE COOK, STOP BOTHERING ME." With that, he slammed the door in Sanji's face as he did every morning.

Sanji snorted and continued on his way, pulling a packaged breakfast biscuit out of his pocket to eat on the walk to work. He'd found it on Zeff's desk and taken it when the old geezer had told him to throw it away. How _dare_ the old man waste food! Sanji studied the thing, noting that, while it appeared to be a bit stale, it had been packaged well and should therefore still be good to eat. He took a bite and didn't even have a chance to grimace at the texture before he was suddenly a lot shorter and tangled in fabric.

" _What the-"_ Sanji wiggled around, trying to get out of the mess of fabric and froze when he actually succeeded, finding himself staring at a pile of his own clothes. He looked down at his body and let out a yelp of surprise when he found himself staring at paws instead of his own feet.

"WHAT?! WHAT IS- WHAT?!" Sanji yelled, though all he could hear was the distressed yelping of a puppy echoing off of the walls. He then did the first thing he could think of, running back down the hall to his neighbor's door, throwing his tiny body against it and watching in shock as the door fell off its hinges.

" _...maybe I did kick it a bit too much…"_ he mused, taking a few steps forward to sit on the door.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO TO WORK DARTBROW!" Zoro shouted as he stomped into the room, stopping short as he stared at the scene before him.

* * *

 **MARCO'S POV**

Marco had to admit that Garp liked to live...lavishly. He was enjoying staying at the man's estate much more than he had enjoyed living in a hotel, however expensive that hotel had been. That being said, the mood surrounding the breakfast table was not so nice. Ace had had a narcoleptic attack and was currently sleeping in his cereal. Meanwhile, Sabo looked as though he hadn't slept in years and was currently combing through three maps of the city at the same time. Smoker had been able to track the cellphone's signal to three different towers, only narrowing their search marginally. Marco took a sip of his coffee, nearly spilling it as Thatch burst into the room,

"GOOD MORNING WHITEBEARDS...AND GUEST!" he exclaimed happily, "ISN'T IT JUST A BEAUTIFUL DAY?"

"Shut up, Thatch," Ace growled, waking up to glare at the man, "no one likes your endless optimism."

"Aw, you know you love me!" Thatch responded happily, taking his seat next to Marco.

"You mess up my maps and I mess up your hair." Sabo glowered, sparing the man the briefest of glances,

"You wouldn't dare!" Thatch gasped, hands going up to protect his pompadour. Marco smirked and took another sip of his coffee...just before his phone rang. He put his cup down with a sigh and pulled his phone out of his pocket, glancing at the blocked number. He stood,

"I need to take this, I'll be right back. Don't kill each other while I'm gone-yoi."

Marco walked out into the garden and picked up the call,

"Yes?"

"Marco the Phoenix, I presume?" said an unfamiliar voice on the other end,

"Who is this?" Marco growled,

"My name is Charlotte Mont d'Or, and I am calling on behalf of my brother, Katakuri."

"Dogtooth? Is this a ransom call?"

"No. My brother wishes to meet with you and the rest of the Whitebeards who are in town to clear up the….misunderstandings regarding Fire Fist's little brother." Marco frowned,

"Misunderstanding? Are you trying to tell me that you _don't_ have him? We have solid evidence that you do!"

"Do you want to meet or not?" Mont d'Or asked, "We would like to avoid war if possible."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Marco asked suspiciously, "For all we know, you have Luffy and are using him as bait to kill us!" Mont d'Or sighed,

"Look, I know I won't be able to convince you that we mean you no harm. I'm sending you the address of our local base now, come around three o'clock. Hopefully this can all be resolved peacefully."

"...very well," Marco said, "I can't promise that Ace will be as reasonable as I am but...we will attempt to have some semblance of _peace talks_ despite all that Dogtooth has done." he hung up, glaring at his phone as though it had offended him as it buzzed with an incoming text from the blocked number. He walked back inside and sat down, taking a much needed drink from his coffee cup before he said,

"I found the base." Instantly grabbing everyone's attention,

"WHAT?!" Sabo exclaimed, "WHILE YOU WERE OUTSIDE?!"

"Who were you talking to?" Ace asked,

"Charlotte Mont d'OR," Marco replied, "Apparently Dogtooth wishes to have peace talks with us at their base."

"Oh so you didn't _find_ it," Thatch said, smirking, "they _told_ you where it was."

"Details, Thatch. The point is that they want to meet with us at three."

"Do they want to make a trade?" Sabo asked, "Luffy for...what, information? money?"

"Well, they're still holding to their position that they don't have him." Marco informed him

"WHAT?!" Ace shouted, slapping Marco's coffee cup out of his hand in his rage, "LUFFY LITERALLY TOLD US THAT HE WAS IN DOGTOOTH'S BEDROOM!" Marco sighed and Thatch stood,

"I'll get you another cup." he said as the blonde turned his sharp gaze on Ace

"Ace, no matter what is true and what is not, we are meeting with some _very_ dangerous people on their home turf. This could very well be a trap. I need you to promise me that you will not lose your temper during this meeting or I will have Thatch remove you. _Both of you."_ he switched his glare to Sabo, who was trying to look inconspicuous.

"But Marco-"

"Excuse you-" Ace and Sabo began simultaneously

"Luffy's _life_ is at stake here." Marco interrupted seriously, "any wrong moves and…" he didn't finish, knowing he didn't need to. Thatch walked back into the room and handed Marco the new cup of coffee before saying,

"You two are young." he glanced from Ace to Sabo then continued, "you haven't heard the stories of what Dogtooth is capable of. We'll be in _his_ house so no matter how angry you are, you need to keep your wits about you. This is a _very_ serious matter and we may not leave with our lives."

"And that," Marco added, "is why _I_ will be doing all the talking. If all goes well, we will have a peaceful discussion and Luffy will be back safe where he belongs before the day ends."

Ace and Sabo swallowed nervously but nodded their agreement,

"Thatch, update Mihawk, he'll want to know about all of this. Ace, you update Pops." Marco ordered, "Hopefully, this will all end today."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Authors' Note**

Here's chapter eleven! Lots of things happen...it's pretty great (though we're a bit biased lol). Hope you like it!

 **Review Responses**

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Welcome back! The onesie was one of the best things we've written so far...it was adorable...and will be *wink wink* Yeah, Kuri's a bit...overprotective...so Luffy won't go to any meetings unless he's forced. We always look forward to reading your reviews, thanks a lot!

 **Jordansdevil:** *squints* was...was that a pun? Lol respect. As funny and awkward as a kangaroo would be isn't it ironic to turn him into a small creature that doesn't really kick things?

 **Azedriel:** First of all, there is really no need to apologize for something like English not being your native tongue, you made perfect sense to us! (and your sentences were better than many native English speakers have written so good job!) We are definitely glad that you hate Flambe more because she is a horrible person and deserved everything Katakuri did. Thank you, we try to be as accurate as possible with the characters! Looking forward to the second part of your review ;)

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:**...you know, we think you might be the genie here...you're so good at predicting things that we (sometimes) haven't even written yet...are you psychic? Yes, if something happened to Lu we would join you and destroy whatever dared to harm him, though we don't have to worry about Kuri, he's a pretty great guy...and he loves cats soooo... Poor Sanji, he's gonna be a puppy for quite a while. Loved the review, see you next time! :)

 **Guest:** Thanks for the review, hope you stuck around for the next chapter! XD

 **Yukino76:** We appreciate the feedback! Hope you stick around for more :)

 **Warnings:**

 **-** Zoro laughs  
\- Katakuri parent mode activated  
\- Drunk Mihawk?

* * *

 **ZORO'S POV**

Zoro didn't think it was possible to laugh as hard as he had been for the past three hours but every time he attempted to calm himself, all he had to do was glance at the awkward corgi puppy and he was sent into another torrent of laughter. It really wasn't that hard to figure out who the dog was, not with _those_ eyebrows...as well as the pile of clothes out in the hall and the way the puppy had insisted that he pick up the partially eaten breakfast biscuit off of the floor. The stupid cook got what he deserved for kicking down his door and bothering him every chance he got.

Once he had calmed down from his most recent fit of laughter, Sanji began attacking his pant leg,

"What? Gotta go outside or something, Mutt?" that earned him a particularly nasty bite on his ankle, but it was worth it.

"Ow! Fine, fine. What is it?" Sanji ran over to the closet and barked until Zoro opened it for him,

"You...want to play a boardgame?" he asked, earning a halfhearted growl as the puppy scanned the different boxes.

"Alright, which one?" Zoro asked, running a hand over the stack. He paused when Sanji began barking and looked at the game in question, "You want to play Monopoly?" he asked in disbelief, and the corgi shook his head. Zoro looked back at the stack of games, "Oh, wait, you want Scrabble, don't you?" Sanji answered him with a short nod and watched impatiently as he pulled the box out and opened it, dumping the pouch of letters onto the floor.

Sanji set to work immediately, pushing the letters around with his nose after realizing that his legs were a bit too short for him to paw the tiny squares into place.

"...U...R…" Zoro read as the puppy worked, sitting on the floor next to him and flipping any of the tiles that had ended up face down.

"U R A JERK. Wow, thanks Mutt," Sanji sent him an amused look and began spelling something else out but before he could finish, Zoro glanced at the clock and gasped,

"CRAP! I'VE GOT A LESSON WITH MIHAWK IN TWENTY MINUTES AND HIS DOJO IS ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN!" he ran around stuffing his things in a duffel bag, strapping his swords to his belt before scooping up the puppy and running out the door.

"CURLY BROW YOU'RE NAVIGATING!"

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

"Everyone just always assumes that _I'm_ the one who did it! I may be a killer, but I'm not responsible for _every_ crime in this city!" Katakuri complained as he scratched King's belly, the cat purring loudly where he lay stretched out on his back. Katakuri went to pull his hand away but King latched on with his front paws, his big eyes looking up at him pleadingly. The man chuckled, "alright, alright, just a bit more then."

"Brother, they've arrived." Brulee said as she opened his door. Katakuri sighed and gently scratched under King's chin before standing,

"Sorry, King, this will have to wait until I've cleared everything up with these people. Hopefully it won't take too long."

* * *

 **SABO'S POV**

Sabo could not believe that one of the many mob bosses in this city lived in the suburbs.

" _No wonder we couldn't find him."_ he mused, looking at the fairly average neighborhood. The house was insanely normal on the outside, an exact copy of the one only a few houses down, the three cell towers Smoker had been able to trace the phone to all visible from the front porch.

" _This guy is smart."_

The door was opened by a creepy guy that looked like a mix between a scarecrow and a mime,

"Whitebeards, welcome!" the man said, "I am Mont d'Or, we spoke on the phone. Please come in,"

Marco said nothing, leading the way inside. As they walked in, Sabo noticed the scanners set in the doorframe and was glad that Marco had insisted they leave all weapons behind in an attempt to keep the meeting peaceful. A few minutes later, they found themselves in a very nice parlor which seemed out of place, considering the bland outside of the house.

"Tea, anyone?" a woman asked, entering the room with a tray that held teacups and a kettle. Sabo, never one to turn down good tea, was the first to ask for a cup, ignoring Ace's pointed glare.

"Thank you, is this earl grey?" he asked politely, smiling at the woman.

"Yes it is, cream and sugar?"

"Please." he accepted the cup and took a sip, watching out of the corner of his eye as Marco firmly grasped the back of Ace's shirt, keeping him seated, "This is wonderful," he told the woman, "There's nothing that can calm my nerves quite like a cup of earl grey. Ace, would you like some?"

Five minutes later all four of them sat on the couch sipping their cups of tea (Ace reluctantly so) and eating small biscuits when Brulee re-entered the room,

"Katakuri will be with you shortly," she informed them,

" _I wonder what he looks like."_ Sabo mused, " _Marco and Thatch said he's dangerous but I've never been given a description."_ At that, the door opened and possibly the most terrifying man he had ever seen walked into the room, making him nearly spill the last of his tea. He was _easily_ over six feet tall, dressed all in leather with spikes throughout, a scarf obscuring the bottom half of his face though parts of a scar and neat stitches were visible above the fabric. The massive tattoo that spread from his arm to his chest added to his intimidating aura.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed without thinking, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from Thatch and a raised eyebrow from Dogtooth.

"I do hope you didn't spill any tea on the carpet." the man commented, his deep voice splitting the air and, if possible, making him _even more terrifying_ as he moved to sit across from them. Marco placed his teacup carefully on the coffee-table and cleared his throat,

"Well, let's get down to business." he began and Ace immediately interrupted,

"Yes, where is my brother?!" which earned him a jab to the ribs that looked very painful,

"I apologize, Ace is very hot headed."

"Indeed, he reminds me of some of my own younger siblings." Katakuri said,

"Wha-" Ace began, only to be forcibly stopped by Marco's hand over his mouth.

"Let me cut to the chase," Dogtooth said seriously, "Never have I had, nor have the intention of kidnapping your brother. To my knowledge, he has never been here and I have never even laid eyes on him."

"LIAR!" Ace shouted, breaking free from Marco's grasp, "LU CALLED FROM HERE! HE SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT HE WAS IN CHARLOTTE KATAKURI'S BEDROOM!"

"And we have some very specific questions for you about that," Sabo added, "... ...Sir…"

Marco and Thatch buried their faces in their hands, groaning in disbelief even as the guy that stood by the door yelled back,

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL BIG BROTHER A LIAR! HE'S A MUCH BETTER BIG BROTHER THAN YOU ARE SINCE HE'S ACTUALLY CAPABLE OF PROTECTING HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS!"

This began an argument between the three of them, Ace and Sabo leaping up from the couch to shout right back at the oddly dressed man while Marco and Thatch looked on, knowing that they really couldn't stop them. What eventually _did_ stop them was Katakuri raising his voice and fixing all of them with a dangerous glare,

"ENOUGH!" he roared, "Cracker, I don't need you to defend my honor. Get back to your post. And as for you two! Sit down and stop acting like spoiled brats! This is a conversation for adults and I expect you to act like it." Sabo quickly sat down, along with a tongue-tied Ace as Thatch snickered. Katakuri sighed, "I understand that you are concerned about your brother, truly, I do. But I can assure you that he is not here. What is this about a phone call?"

"We received a call from Luffy yesterday morning and he said some...disturbing things." Marco said, "The phone used was traced back to this area and the boy himself said that he was here, in your room."

"What?" Katakuri asked, "That is not possible, _no one_ is allowed in my room and no one is stupid enough to try. Granted, I did find my phone out of place with a phone call to an unknown number yesterday morning." he pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket as he finished speaking, opening it and pulling up his recent calls. "Is this your number?"

"Uh, yeah, that's mine." Ace answered quietly, leaning forward to see the digits on the screen.

"This is, a bit of a mystery then." Katakuri said, "At this time, I still have no idea who could have placed this call. My room was empty when I returned from a meeting and found my phone on the ground."

"If Luffy truly wasn't in your room, prove it." Sabo demanded, still as politely as he could.

* * *

 **MIHAWK'S POV (A FEW HOURS EARLIER)**

Mihawk stood outside of the dojo, glancing at his watch.

"...thirty minutes late...I'm going to kill that boy." he muttered. Zoro might be one of his best students but he tended to never arrive precisely on time. Thirty minutes late was a new record.

He heard the motorcycle before he saw it and when he did he raised an eyebrow at the sight of a puppy's head sticking out of Zoro's leather jacket.

"I do hope you have an explanation." Mihawk drawled.

"I know, I know," Zoro rushed to get out, "I'm late and I'm sorry I -"

"I meant the dog." Mihawk interrupted

"...he's the reason I'm late." Zoro informed him, "It's actually kind of funny but this is Sanji, my neighbor, you remember him."

"Excuse me?"

"Look at his eyebrows!" Zoro said, holding up the dog so that his teacher could get a better look at him.

"You can't possibly expect me to believe-"

"Talk to him! Ask him any yes or no questions and he'll respond!" Zoro interrupted, thrusting the puppy forward again, Mihawk sighed,

"Fine. Are you Sanji?" the dog nodded and Mihawk's eyes widened, "Can you understand me?"

This time, the dog rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. "Roronoa, how did this happen?"

"I...I have no idea." he admitted, "I found his clothes out in the hallway and a half eaten biscuit that he wanted me to save for some reason bu-"

"His clothes?! In a pile with all of the buttons still fastened?!" Mihawk interrupted,

"Um...yes?" Mihawk rushed inside and grabbed his keys,

"We're going back to your apartment!" he told his student as he locked the door, "Give me Sanji, he's riding with me."

"But-"

"There's no time! Get in my car!"

"But my bike!" Zoro protested even as he did as Mihawk said,

"It'll be fine! No one is stupid enough to touch it. Now, we have to go!"

Approximately twenty minutes later, Zoro rolled out of Mihawk's car, groaning.

"You drive like a maniac, you know that?!" he gasped out, only to be ignored as the older man lept from the car and began dragging him down the hall to his open apartment, the door still lying on the ground where he'd left it.

"Show me everything, Dog." Mihawk ordered, placing the puppy on the ground. Sanji rolled his eyes before trotting over to the table where the biscuit lay and barking once. Mihawk rushed over and pulled out a handkerchief, carefully picking up the half-eaten breakfast.

"Is this what you think turned you into an animal?" Mihawk asked seriously and Sanji nodded. The man straightened and turned to Zoro.

"I'm borrowing your dog, we're heading to the police station."

" _My_ dog?" Zoro spluttered in protest, "He's my neighbor-"

"I don't care. While I'm gone, I expect you to return to the dojo and run through all of the katas you have learned."

"But...ALL of them?!"

"Are you questioning me?" Mihawk asked, eyebrow raised

"No, not at all." Zoro replied quickly, shaking his head.

"Good." the older man said, picking up the puppy once again and leaving the apartment.

* * *

 **SMOKER'S POV**

Smoker was...frustrated...no, _beyond_ frustrated. He was angry. Over the past few weeks, they had literally gotten nowhere. People were still missing, Hina was still in the hospital, they were apparently facing an outbreak of a strain of the plague that most people had never heard of, and, to top it all off, Police Chief Akainu had decided to go on vacation in the middle of it; this is what lead to Smoker banging his head against his desk repeatedly.

"S-sir? Captain Smoker...sir?"

"What, Intern?!" Smoker growled at the young, pink-haired boy, "I am _really_ not in the mood."

"W-well, Sir...there's...um...there's-"

"Spit it out boy!" Smoker snapped,

"Now now, Captain Smoker, this is the third intern in the past week. Please don't keep scaring them off." Tashigi said, walking up behind the intern in question, "Coby is doing a good job so far."

"Well _sorry_ that the first intern you convinced me to get put my partner in a _coma!"_ Smoker shot back, glaring at the woman who didn't even flinch. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to force himself to calm down, "Sorry about that. Coby, what did you want to say?"

"Well Sir, there's someone named Dracule Mihawk here to see you. He says it's urgent."

"Alright, alright." Smoker said, standing to make his way to the lobby where he found Mihawk with a dog under one arm and something in a handkerchief in his hand, pacing and muttering under his breath.

" _...it all makes sense! The blood spatter...the evidence...it all points to this!"_ at that the man looked at whatever was in his hand, not even noticing that Smoker stood there, staring.

"Um...Mihawk?" he asked,

"Captain!" the detective exclaimed, lunging towards him, "you must examine this biscuit posthaste!"

"...Dracule...are you drunk? It's not even noon! If the case is too much for you-"

"I'm not drunk!"

"OH...did...did you find Luffy?! Is he-"

"I'M NOT DRUNK! JUST LISTEN!" Mihawk shouted, "I believe that someone is attempting to turn the city's population into animals using these biscuits and possibly other foodstuffs."

Smoker stared at the man in disbelief, unable to force any words out of his mouth.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Mihawk assured him, "I need to speak with Doctorine immediately!"

"I heard the whole thing." the woman in question said before Smoker could respond, "And so did the whole neighborhood, you guys are far too noisy!"

"This dog!" Mihawk exclaimed, rushing over to the woman, "He's Vinsmoke Sanji! He bit into this biscuit and turned into a dog!" Doctorine took the puppy from him and nodded,

"Yes, I do believe that is exactly what happened." she agreed.

"You're kidding, right?" Smoker asked incredulously but Doctorine shook her head,

"Chopper and I have already been testing the substances found during our _many_ autopsies." she informed them, "and...well...perhaps it would be better to just show you. Chopper!" Smoker's jaw dropped at the sight of a kid who, last he had checked, had been completely human yet now looked like a...tanuki?...deer?

"Hi!" Chopper said, "It would appear that someone is attempting to turn everyone in the city into animals. Oh, hi Sanji." there was a few seconds of silence before Smoker groaned,

"I'm glad we've had a break in the case but _magic?! Really?!"_

"I don't think it's magic," Doctorine put in, "we're still testing the substance but we believe it's some sort of drug."

"Do you believe that it's been distributed to people using foods other than these biscuits?" Mihawk asked and the woman shrugged,

"It's certainly possible." she admitted, "As far as we know, it could go into anything."

"The donut!" Mihawk exclaimed, rushing to trade the handkerchief and biscuit for the dog that the woman held, "I must go! I believe I have solved my case!"


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Authors' Note:** So many new followers! We're so happy (and grateful)! Here, have a new chapter as a present ;)

 **Review Responses**

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** As per usual, we died laughing reading your review! Yes, Mihawk has _finally_ solved his case, just took a late student and an awkward puppy! ...please don't break your phone...those things are expensive...Yep, Chopper is now a reindeer, as he should be. Check out this chapter to see how accurate your psychic powers were XD

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Loved the review! We _always_ love the fluff and every once and a while Kuri must activate parent mode (Cracker currently holds the record for most times activated lol) As for the rest of the review...well...better read the chapter ;)

 **Son of Whitebeard:** Thanks for the review! Mihawk's very grateful to have finally solved his case lol.

 **Jordansdevil:** We love your pun and your reviews XD Thanks so much, hope you enjoy the reactions in this chapter!

 **Yukino76:** Appreciate the review! Mihawk is great at diffusing tense situations...especially since he has a giant sword ;)

 **Shellina123:** Yay, new reviewer! Welcome to Outbreak, glad you've enjoyed it so far! Your words warm our hearts, thank you so much for the compliments! We're huge fans of overprotective Ace (and Sabo) and adorable Luffy XD We're really enjoying writing this story! Hope to hear from you again :)

 **Warnings:**

 **-** mentions of rape  
\- v angry Kuri  
\- puppies  
\- kittens  
\- nudity  
\- mentions of drugs  
\- mentions of death  
\- mentions of animal abuse  
\- possessive Kuri

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

It really made Ace angry, just how...nervous...Dogtooth made him. He was positive that Luffy was here, he _had_ to be, and this pervert probably had him tied up in his room or something!

"You expect me to allow four strangers, three of which are prominent members of another gang, to roam about my house?" Katakuri asked in response to Sabo's prompting.

"OH? So you DO have something, or perhaps _someone,_ to hide!" Ace exclaimed. Katakuri sighed,

"Does not Whitebeard have places in his home that he would rather not have his enemies enter?"

"He's got a point." Thatch said, ignoring the glare Ace directed at him.

"Well then how do you expect to prove to us that the boy truly is not here?" Marco asked, "Forgive me, but your word likely won't be enough."

"I miss the days where people could simply trust each other." Katakuri mused, "unfortunately, I cannot allow you to search my home."

" _That's it."_ Ace thought murderously, " _I'm done with him dodging questions!"_ he leapt to his feet

"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, I WILL TEAR YOUR HOUSE DOWN BRICK BY BRICK IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES, YOU PERVERT!" Ace shouted, "I KNOW HE'S HERE! WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING TO HIM OVER THESE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU FOUND HIM NAKED, DOGTOOTH?! IF YOU'VE STOLEN HIS INNOCENCE..."

"Ace," Marco began

"I can take a lot of insults, Boy, " Katakuri interrupted, leaning forward, voice low and deadly "but I cannot sit by and allow you to accuse me of such atrocities. How _dare_ you compare me to those scum!" He stood, looming over the four, "Are you attempting to start a war with me, Fire Fist?" Marco stood, doing his best to shove Ace back down into his seat,

"Please, Dogtooth, I'm sure Ace meant no offense." he began but Katakuri glared at him,

"Do not attempt to cover for him, Phoenix." he growled, "It would appear that you are all convinced that I am not only a kidnapper, but also a rapist. I will not stand by as you tarnish my name and my family's name in this way!"

At this, Ace's anger only grew and he yelled,

"YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE! IF YOU WON'T TELL US WHERE HE IS, I'LL FIND HIM MYSELF!"

Ignoring the voices of Sabo and the others, Ace did the only thing he could think to do at that moment, shaking off Marco's grasp and lunging for Dogtooth with the intent to kill. What he didn't expect was for Katakuri to easily dodge his punch and grab him by the throat, holding him out in front of him.

As Ace's air supply dwindled, the door to the parlor burst open.

"please put Fire Fist down," said Mihawk's familiar voice, "I believe there is still a way we can end this without violence." Ace was confused.

" _What is he doing here?"_ he wondered as he thrashed around, attempting to get Dogtooth to loosen his grip,

"Mihawk?!" Thatch exclaimed, "What are you even doing here?!"

"I will gladly explain, once we are all behaving in a civilized manner."

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

To be honest, Katakuri didn't really want to put Fire Fist down. He'd probably feel better if he just wrung the idiot's neck right then and there. How _dare_ he accuse him of something so atrocious! That being said, it would probably be a better idea to continue to attempt a peaceful solution to the problem at hand. Reluctantly, he dropped the younger man, smirking as he watched him gasp for breath on the floor.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Katakuri asked the newcomer,

"My name is Dracule Mihawk, I am a private investigator working with these fine gentlemen to solve the disappearance of one Monkey D. Luffy. I got the address from Phoenix and let myself in."

"I tried to stop him," Brulee commented from the door, "but he has a massive sword and knows how to use it."

"If you have some _other_ solution besides me killing all of you, please do tell." he watched in amusement as the Phoenix dragged Fire Fist back onto the couch by his shirt collar, throwing him on top of the other boy before Twin Blades sat down on both of them.

"Hey! What'd I do to deserve this?!" blondie protested,

"Thatch, one word out of either of them and you have permission to knock them out." Phoenix said instead of answering the question,

"You got it, Bird Brain!" Twin Blades responded cheerfully. Mihawk cleared his throat,

"First, I would like all of you to take a look at this puppy." he instructed, lifting the creature he had been carrying under one arm so that they could all examine it, "Does it look familiar?"

Katakuri was...confused. Despite abnormal swirly markings above the dog's eyes it appeared to be a normal, Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy.

"Mihawk...what is this?" Twin Blades asked, seemingly as confused as he was.

"THIS is Vinsmoke Sanji!" the detective exclaimed, "He was turned into a dog due to a biscuit laced with some unknown drug."

Twin Blades took the puppy from Mihawk and stared at it for a moment before asking,

"Sanji?"

The dog nodded.

"HOLY CRAP!" the man exclaimed, almost dropping the puppy in his shock, as Fire Fist and Blondie gaped

"BE CAREFUL!" Mihawk admonished, "That is a witness you are holding!"

"Umm...okay?" Katakuri said, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"It has _everything_ to do with this case, ." Mihawk informed him, "Have you, in recent weeks, come to possess a small animal of any kind?"

"No way." Fire Fist muttered.

At this point, Katakuri had to admit that he was getting a bit worried. It wasn't possible...was it?

"I did." he admitted finally,

"Could you please bring it out here?" the detective requested politely.

Katakuri glared at the room's occupants as he considered the request. He really didn't want to subject King to the stress of this situation, knowing how poorly he reacted to most strangers...he also just didn't want these lunatics touching his cat. Finally, he sighed,

"Very well," he said reluctantly, "if it will help put to rest these accusations. BUT let me make myself _very_ clear. King suffers from anxiety in the presence of strangers and loud noises. You will all lower your voices and will make no move to touch him." he turned his attention to his sister, "Brulee, please fetch King from my room."

"May I enquire as to what species King is?" Mihawk asked,

"A cat." Katakuri replied gruffly, "Who I registered in my name not long ago. Which reminds me, keep a firm hold on that dog."

A few minutes later, Brulee returned with a familiar black fluffball in her hands. Katakuri gently took King from her and held him up for the others to see.

"This is King. I rescued him approximately three weeks ago from some pieces of trash who were torturing him." Katakuri placed his kitten on the coffee table, still glaring at the others on the couch who had all stood up and moved closer to examine _his_ cat. What he did not expect was for King to meow happily and leap onto Fire Fist's shirt, clawing his way up to thrust his tiny head against the young man's jaw. Fire Fist froze for a moment before he carefully picked up the cat and held him out in front of his face to make eye contact.

"L-Luffy?" he asked, receiving an enthusiastic nod from King.

" _You've got to be kidding me."_ Katakuri inwardly groaned, " _I seriously ACTUALLY HAD THE KID the whole time?"_

* * *

 **SABO'S POV**

Sabo could not believe what just happened.

" _Luffy...is a cat? He's been a cat this whole time? Then...then how did he call Ace?"_

Ace put Luffy back on the table as the occupants of the room all stared in shock. Sanji chose that moment to run up and...well... _attempt_...to leap onto the table, though he didn't succeed until Sabo gave him a helping hand. They all watched as Sanji ran up to the now identified Luffy and began to lick all over his face even as Dogtooth glared.

"Perhaps I can shed some light onto this very confusing situation." Mihawk said, breaking the silence, "I believe there have been a lot of...unfortunate...misunderstandings."

"Please, do tell." Dogtooth said, eyes never leaving Luffy

"It has recently been discovered that someone had been distributing different items of food around the city that are laced with a drug that forcibly turns the victim into an animal. As of yet, the perpetrator has not been identified and, of course, we have no idea what the motive could have been. We also believe that there is a connection between the unexplained deaths and this drug. It is likely that the effects vary depending on the compatibility of the victim's blood and the components of the drug itself. We are still not sure if these were random attacks or if specific people were targeted. However, in Luffy's case, it would appear that he was indeed targeted. Isn't that right?"

"I had no idea that Monkey D. Luffy had been turned into a cat." Katakuri said,

"I am not accusing you," Mihawk assured him, "but I would like to hear your side of what happened that night."

"I was...out…" Katakuri began, "we had had some...um...unfortunate occurrences here at the house...these led to me...um...chasing the perpetrators around...in...my territory and the neutral area just outside…"

" _He's being so...vague."_ Sabo mused, " _Does he have something to hide?"_

"I chased one of the men down not too far from an apartment complex...the kid's apartment complex apparently…and I heard what appeared to be an animal in distress. When I got closer, I saw a man throw a bloodstained bag down the stairs." he then shifted his gaze to glare at Ace and then at Sabo as he continued, "Contrary to what you seem to believe, I could not just stand by and watch a small, helpless animal be abused in front of me. So I stepped in and...rescued him."

"You seem to have left out a few details." Sabo put in, smiling coldly, "Are you sure you don't have something to hide, ?" The man in question sighed, taking a moment to calm himself,

"For the last time," Katakuri said, "I had no idea that the _grievously injured_ kitten, whose life I _saved_ by the way, was your little brother."

"YE-" Ace began, only to be silenced by Thatch's hand over his mouth.

"Based on what you've told us," Mihawk said, "it would seem that they were indeed trying to kidnap him in his weakened state. I wonder how many others were affected in this way...and how many were targeted like Luffy was. Is this some sort of power play?" Sabo frowned, kneeling to gently pet the kitten that was somehow his little brother,

"We can worry about motives later. Right now I just want to get Luffy home and back to normal somehow." There were murmurs of agreement from his companions but Dogtooth crossed his arms and fixed them all with a dark glare,

"I can't let you do that," the man growled, momentarily freezing everyone in place as his words sunk in. The shock wore off quickly and Sabo and Ace exploded simultaneously,

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"I will not allow you to take him from this house." Dogtooth said, "As he is still a cat, registered under my name, _by law_ he belongs to me. It is also likely that whoever is behind this is still after him and, if that is the case, the _safest_ place he could be is by my side!"

The next few minutes were kind of a blur for Sabo as they consisted of much yelling (and being held back) by who he assumed was Marco or Thatch, with Ace doing his best to leap over the table once again. He also noticed that a few of the Charlotte siblings entered the room, attempting to calm their brother and get him to sit down, though it didn't seem like he could even hear them. What _finally_ stopped the situation from becoming an all out brawl was the appearance of a very naked, very _human_ Luffy, curled up in the fetal position on the coffee table, hands clutched over his ears as he trembled, eyes shut tight.

" _EH?"_

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy was so happy to see his brothers...until things started to get loud. To be honest, he wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying, he was too busy talking with Sanji, who had apparently been very worried about him. He didn't understand why everyone was acting so weird, it wasn't like he'd been kidnapped or anything. Though when he mentioned that to his friend, he'd received an angry growl and a few choice curses. Luffy found that it was fairly easy to tune out the conversation going on above his head but when everyone started screaming at each other it became too much.

Luffy curled up, trying to block out the noise as his ears started ringing painfully, his paws not really helping him much. He squeezed his eyes shut and shied away from the noise, whimpering quietly as the pain seemed to spread from his ears to the rest of his body. Suddenly, the room fell silent. Revelling in the lack of sound, Luffy slowly uncurled and looked up to see his brothers' shocked faces along with Marco's gaping mouth and Thatch's very red face. He then looked down at himself and realized that he was human again...and, just like last time, completely naked.

"Here." Kuri's voice said from behind him as a blanket descended on his head.

He fumbled for a moment, finally managing to wrap the thing around his shoulders before turning to face the man,

"Thanks, Kuri!" he grinned up at Katakuri, who merely waved off his thanks awkwardly.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri didn't think this day could get any stranger until his cat turned into a naked kid sitting on his table. The boy, Luffy apparently, definitely looked like he was in pain and he didn't know what to do. If he did what he _wanted_ to do, a scenario that consisted of him scooping the boy up and wrapping him in his scarf, he was almost certain that Fire Fist would _literally_ burst into flames. So he went with...let's say Plan C...since Plan B (picking him up and bringing him to the familiar safety of his room) would probably start a war with the Whitebeards. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over the boy, following the safest, but most unsatisfactory plan.

Luffy struggled to find the edge of the blanket for a moment, bringing Katakuri's attention to the reality of how very _small_ this boy was. He didn't look weak, he was covered in lean muscles and with Fire Fist for a brother, he likely knew how to protect himself, but he was just so...small…

" _Well, in comparison to myself he is certainly very very small."_ Katakuri mused, watching the kitten...wait...no...human….mostly-human...he actually wasn't sure what to call him, noting the large cat ears that looked surprisingly at home in the black mop of hair and the long, fluffy tail that swayed back and forth where it emerged from under the blanket.

"Thanks, Kuri!" the boy said happily, turning to give him a blinding smile.

" _Kuri?"_ the man wondered, waving off the boy's thanks distractedly, " _He gave me a nickname? ...I like it."_

"Luffy!" that was Fire Fist, lunging to grab his brother, "Luffy, are you okay?!" the boy turned,

"Ace!" he exclaimed, hugging his older brother, "I'm fine, though I'm not sure why I'm naked…"

"You have no idea how good it is to see you, Lu!" blondie said, joining the hug, "We were worried sick!" The brothers embraced as the two older Whitebeards looked on with soft smiles, "So...is there a reason that you still have some of your...cat appendages?" Luffy pulled back and brought a hand up to one furry ear, looking pensive,

"I don't know." he admitted, "This has only happened once before, when I called Ace."

" _Ah...so he used my phone,"_ Katakuri thought, " _Makes sense how he knew my password."_

"Is there a way to fix this yet?" blondie asked, turning to Mihawk, "Last I checked, Sanji is still a dog...and Luffy's half cat!"

"The M.E.'s only recently discovered that it was a drug at all that did this, I'm afraid it will be a while before an antidote can be safely administered." the detective replied calmly, "We should also be considering the reason why Luffy has sporadically halfway changed back, while Sanji does not appear to be displaying the same symptoms. Luffy, can you remember anything about what caused you to turn back?" The boy frowned,

"Well...last time I woke up from a really bad dream," he explained, "and this time you were all being too loud and it was...too much."

"So, intense emotions triggered it then?" Marco put in,

"Perhaps." Mihawk replied, "We will need to study him more to find out for certain."

 _That_ caught Katakuri's attention,

" _Oh, they still think that just because he's half human I'm going to allow them to walk out of here with him…"_ he thought, " _To me he looks even more vulnerable in this state, and he's obviously still in a lot of pain...not that those idiots have noticed."_ As the others talked, Katakuri had been studying the boy, noting his pallor and the sweat beading on his forehead, his face occasionally tensing or twitching in discomfort. Something was definitely wrong.

"Regardless of his current appearance," Katakuri began, drawing everyone's attention, "He will not be leaving here while he is in such a state, unless you've failed to notice how pale he's become in the past few minutes?" All eyes in the room turned to study Luffy, whose breathing had become quicker and more shallow, his gaze slightly unfocused.

"What?" he protested, giving them a shaky excuse for a smile, "I'm fine guys, really!" He went to stand, legs so wobbly that it took a few attempts for him to actually stand upright.

Katakuri rushed forward instinctively before his brain realized what his eyes were seeing as the boy fell backward, straight towards him. He caught Luffy with one arm, reflexively putting the other behind his neck to make sure it was stable.

" _Did he just pass out?"_ Katakuri wondered, idly moving to check the boy's pulse and noting that he definitely had a fever.

"See what I mean now?" he asked the shocked occupants of the room, "He is definitely _not_ fine." As though illustrating his point, Luffy let out the tiniest of whines. His brothers winced.

"Is he-" Fire Fist began, stopping short as they all watched Luffy disappear into the blanket.

Katakuri fished the small kitten out of the fabric, holding him close as he turned his attention back to his guests,

"You should leave." he said firmly, "We can continue this conversation at a later date."

"We're not leaving without him!" Fire Fist protested angrily. Mihawk sighed and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder,

"I understand how you feel," he said calmly, "but, at the moment, I believe this is what's best for your brother. We will return tomorrow-"

"No you will not." Katakuri interrupted, "I will contact you when he is feeling up to having visitors. In case you forgot, Gentlemen, this is _my_ house. _I_ make the rules here and, currently, Luffy is under my care, meaning you will be listening to me in regards to his health and any visitation that might occur."

At that, both brothers looked like they had a thing or two to say to him but were interrupted by Phoenix,

"Very well." the man said, "We will wait for your call. Just don't make us wait too long, Dogtooth. He is...precious to us."

Katakuri nodded, watching as they made their way out, the two brothers being dragged away by the two older Whitebeards. He walked back towards his room, King...Luffy?...tucked securely into his scarf.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Authors' Note:** uh...greetings friends...this is Author Lu, the awkward one who never knows what to say in the authors' note...So many people like our story! It's so exciting! Anyway, here's the next chapter!

p.s. If anyone happens to be an amazing artist and wishes to do fanart for Outbreak, we would gratefully accept anything you did! :)

 **Review Responses:**

 **Jordansdevil:** Wow, you were the first one to review! We're so proud of you ;) Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback! (we love your profile pic btw, it's great)

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** Hey Jui, how are you? 'cause we're really great after reading your review XD Katakuri will always be there, even if it means confronting overprotective Ace and Sabo...something we most certainly _would not_ do out of fear for our lives. Thatch...his mind went into the gutter for a split second...shame on him, lol. Marco has too many siblings to care at this point. Luffy is Luffy...and was a bit preoccupied. Law...who knows...we haven't decided on a reaction yet, actually. For request...we suggest checking the end note ;)

 **Shellina123:** Hello again! It means so much to us that you leave reviews! We appreciate every review that we get (thankfully, everyone has been very kind so far but we'd do our best to appreciate harsher reviews too lol) they build our confidence as writers. Luffy is truly adorable and we will never stop writing him as such! :) Much Love, FooandLu

 **Yukino76:** Thanks for the review, glad you keep coming back! We'll get to see Law in this chapter actually. He'll have more screentime later on. Luffy is _very_ safe. No one would be stupid enough to try and hurt him while he's in Kuri's care (ex:Flambe) :)

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** We were getting worried about you actually, glad you're okay! XD Yeah, Kuri's a bit possessive but who wouldn't be...well, who isn't...when it comes to Luffy ;) Loved the review, see you next time!

 **Akdjhs:** First of all...wow! We've never felt so appreciated in our lives! So...the reason your first review took a while to show up is that Author Foo forgot to approve it when it first appeared so sorry about that! Yep, Katakuri has quickly become our favorite character, he cares for Luffy more than he knows (or will admit). Yep, when Luffy turned human he did indeed still have the collar on but everyone was a bit too distracted to notice...thankfully. It's probably for the best that the fact that Luffy has been chipped is _not_ mentioned for the time being...his bros would probably have an aneurism. We're glad you appreciate the changes in each character's perspective, we work hard to make sure they are authentic to the character who is speaking/thinking/observing. We feel like we can't properly address everything in your review, it was just so awesome! As for Jimbe...well...  
(btw would you happen to be from Southern USA? We noticed, and appreciated, your repeated use of "y'all" as we are from that area XD )

 **Warnings:**

\- Mild Ace Angst (we're too mean to this guy...seriously...)  
\- Doffy is...off...should be concerned  
\- Vague Mihawk is vague  
\- Surprise visit  
\- Mild drug use  
\- Serious Thatch

* * *

 **LAW'S POV**

The zoo, while having quite a few negative factors, also had some positive things, though Law hated to admit it. The food was nice, they never attempted to feed him bread at least (being a carnivore had its perks). Crocodile didn't seem to care that much, probably enjoying the lack of things to do as he lounged in the sun and endured the curious crowds. Kidd was having a great time, apparently bears were quite the attraction and he was very popular with the kids.

" _What an idiot."_

The one he was really worried about, though he'd never admit it if anyone asked, was his uncle. Even as a flamingo, he was always embroiled in trouble, spending most of his time in solitary confinement. The zookeepers were at a loss. It was unheard of for a flamingo to not want to be around its flock, even if it was a recent addition. The few times Law had seen him, Doffy had seemed...off… Law was very concerned about what would happen if...no... _when_ they turned back. He refused to live the rest of his life so...fuzzy...and on display for the crowds of idiots that made their way through the zoo daily.

His thoughts were interrupted by one of the zoo's vets rolling him onto his other side and he remembered where he was.

" _Oh...right, the weekly checkup."_ he sighed. Law glanced up at the tv, his only entertainment in the bland room, not that he was interested in the weather.

"Breaking news!" the announcer said suddenly, "We have just been given new information on one of the cases we have been following so closely in the past few weeks."

" _Oh?"_ Law twisted his neck a bit to have a better view of the screen as the announcer continued,

"Police have released a statement concerning Mr. Monkey D. Luffy who was abducted from his home a few weeks ago. The young man was located yesterday afternoon and police assure us that he is safe and completely unharmed. As of yet, they have given us no details concerning the culprit or whether or not the victim has been able to return home. We will keep you updated as more information is released."

" _Luffy-ya, you're safe! Thank the lord."_ Law breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lift off of his shoulders as the screen showed a man being interviewed, the box underneath the picture declaring him a private investigator by the name of Dracule Mihawk.

"Mr. Mihawk, is there anything you might be able to tell us concerning the rescue that took place?" the reporter asked before a microphone was shoved in the man's face.

"I am unable to share any details." Mihawk said sternly, "Rest assured, the boy is fine and in no danger. He will return home as soon as he is able and police declare it safe for him to do so."

"Can you address the rumors that he was taken by the mob and was to be sold on the black market?" The man's expression soured,

"Rumors, nothing more." he said, apparently disgusted, "The culprit fled the scene and we are pursuing him at this moment. Whether or not he has connections to the mob has yet to be seen. No more questions."

" _I get the feeling that he's lying."_ Law mused, " _well, whatever the case, I am glad Luffy-ya is safe….now to figure out how to turn myself back into a human."_

* * *

 **SMOKER'S POV**

After a long night of patrolling and only three hours of sleep, Smoker was tired. He was on his third cup of coffee, which had done nothing to help the migraine he could feel building, and figured he would need another one...or three...when he got to the station. It was going to be a _long_ day. With the MEs needing all of the help they could get, Smoker was left with nothing to do but patrol and attempt to keep the city relatively under control...or at least...not panicking. They had censored what they told the news in order to maintain some semblance of peace but the people were getting restless and suspicious. The citizens somehow always knew when they were being kept in the dark.

The gangs were being suspiciously quiet. Of course, Dogtooth had other things to be worried about so his activities were the least of Smoker's concerns. He still couldn't believe the kid had turned into a cat...seriously what was the world coming to? As for Doflamingo...who knew where he was. Smoker was beginning to suspect that the man had been turned into some rat and was just walking around the city somewhere...not that he cared that much since his absence meant less work for the police when there was so much else to worry about.

Smoker sighed and walked into the station where he was greeted enthusiastically by Tashigi,

"Good morning, Sir! Ho-"

"No. Tashigi, I am _not_ having a good morning...or week...or month for that matter…" Smoker growled, interrupting her and stalking over to his desk, ignoring the new, hopefully-not-evil, intern that hovered nearby.

"Apologies, Sir." Tashigi answered, not offended in the slightest, "The MEs are looking for you. They requested that you make your way to the lab as soon as possible."

" _Requested?"_ Smoker snorted, " _Doctorine wouldn't request anything...she'd throw knives or something…"_

"Alright," he said, standing and heading towards the door that led to the part of the building that held the lab, "Intern, make me some coffee and leave it on my desk. Tashigi...make sure he doesn't poison me."

"Yes, Sir!" the intern called after him.

" _At least he's respectful."_ Smoker mused, walking quickly. He wanted to get this over with.

When he opened the door to the lab, he was _not_ expecting to see a massive...fish...person?...sitting on the table calmly.

"Ah, Chase! Good to see you." the fishman said. Smoker's eyes widened

"Jimbei?!" he exclaimed, shocked, "What the heck happened?! You _definitely_ didn't look like that yesterday!"

"Ah, well, I came to the city to help." Jimbei reasoned, "and they said this was the best way to help."

"By being a living science experiment?!" Smoker asked and Jimbei laughed,

"I don't mind it. I think I look rather...majestic! Did you know I'm part shark? That's quite exciting really." Smoker merely gaped at his friend for a moment before shutting his eyes and drawing a calming breath,

"Please tell me they've found a cure…"

"Nope." Doctorine said from the other side of the lab, "This was a complete and utter failure and we are no closer to curing it."

"You've been working on this for a while now, haven't you? Shouldn't you be closer to curing it?" Smoker asked, exasperated,

"We _are_ closer, than when we started at least," Doctorine protested, "but this drug is unlike anything we've ever seen so we need more time than usual...turning people into animals and back again….it's not easy!" Smoker sighed,

"Alright, alright," he conceded, "Just...try to figure this out as fast as you can. The sooner we have a cure the better...I'd like to be able to have a cure on hand when we finally have to tell the public."

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Ace woke up very well rested, around noon the day after the confrontation with Dogtooth, and was instantly suspicious. He stalked to the kitchen, hair sticking up wildly and glared at Marco and Thatch where they sat at the bar,

"Alright, one of you did something!"

"What are you talking about, Ace?" Marco asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"There's _no way_ I would sleep as well as I did last night knowing that Luffy is still in Dogtooth's hands!" Ace informed him, noting that Thatch didn't even look up from his phone.

"Perhaps you simply trust Dogtooth more than you think," Marco mused. Thatch immediately scooted his chair away from the other man as Ace scowled at the blonde,

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Ace roared, "HE GRABBED ME BY THE THROAT!"

"You did call him a rapist, Ace." Sabo pointed out, walking into the kitchen, "and as for why you slept so well, I would assume that it's because Marco drugged you, as he did with me."

Ace dove at Marco, who simply stood to avoid the attack before taking another sip of his coffee.

"You were both so... _tense..._ that you wouldn't have been able to sleep otherwise," Marco informed them, "You're welcome."

"Not to mention that if you two can't sleep you keep the rest of us up too!" Thatch put in helpfully,

"Yeah, yeah," Sabo said, forcing Ace to stop attacking Marco and take a seat, "What are we going to be doing today? Something about Luffy, I hope?"

 _That_ got Ace's attention.

"Yeah! We've gotta get him back!" he exclaimed, trying to jump out of his seat and glaring when Sabo pushed him back down, "We can't just let him stay there!"

Marco and Thatch exchanged glances and the blonde reclaimed his seat before he spoke,

"This is a...complicated situation, Ace,"

"We need to be mature in how we go about this," Thatch added, "One wrong move and we're looking at war. We, or rather, _you_ already riled up Dogtooth more than we should've. We should count ourselves lucky that the man's temper is not as quick as yours."

"But-" Ace began but Marco shook his head,

"No, Ace." he interrupted, "You need to admit it. You really messed up. Your actions and words yesterday could...no, _should_ have gotten us all killed. Take responsibility."

Ace was taken aback by the shame and pain that he felt at their words but he knew they were right. Dogtooth, as much as he hated to admit it, had been the better man in their confrontation. If their roles had been switched...he would have killed anyone that dared call him names or speak to him with such disrespect in his own home. Ace sighed, head dropping and refusing to meet anyone's gaze,

"I know...you're right...I was so worried about Luffy that I created a monster in my head that didn't actually exist...I made a mistake and risked everyone's lives. I'm sorry, really, I am." A low chuckle from Thatch drew Ace's eyes from the table to the small smile on the older man's face,

"Apology accepted!" he informed him and Marco sighed, though a half-smile flitted across his own face,

"You're young, Ace, you still have much to learn." he pointed out, "Thank you for your apology." the smile disappeared as he continued, "That being said, we will be dropping some of Luffy's things off at Dogtooth's today and you owe the man an apology as sincere as the one you just gave us." Ace drew back in shock, stuttering out an attempt to excuse himself from even thinking about the humiliating thing. Sabo slapped him on the back, grinning,

"Don't worry, Ace! You've got this!" he exclaimed. His grin fell when Marco gave him an unimpressed look,

"You're going too, Sabo." he informed him and the other man gaped,

"Me?! What did I do?!" he asked, horrified.

Marco didn't answer, merely raising an eyebrow, his eyes daring the younger man to begin making excuses. Sabo sighed,

"Of course...we'll go together, Ace…"

A few hours later, laden with bags of Luffy's clothing, snacks, and the textbooks that Sabo insisted they take, the two of them found themselves on Dogtooth's front porch, knocking on the door. They could feel Marco's and Thatch's stares as they watched from the car to ensure nothing bad happened but they didn't care too much as the door opened.

"What're you two doing here again?" Cracker asked glaring at the two of them, "I do believe that you were told not to return until you were called,"

"Yeah but," Ace began but Cracker cut him off,

"Can't even follow simple orders now?" he asked disdainfully,

"Look-" Sabo tried but the other man kept going,

"My big brother doesn't have the time for idiots like you. You're lucky you weren't shot on sight or taken down to the basement to stay for awhile, especially after how rude you were yesterday." Cracker sniffed, "You-"

"Cracker." Dogtooth's unamused voice sounded from somewhere behind his brother, "Just shut up and let them in."

"...of course." Cracker replied, frowning, "Please do come in," he stepped back and allowed the two inside, shutting the door firmly behind them before leading them down the hall and into what appeared to be Dogtooth's office.

Dogtooth himself sat behind a large desk, looking up from whatever he'd been reading and removing his reading glasses as they entered.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he asked politely, "I haven't yet contacted you so there must be some...other reason you are here so soon?"

"Yes, we brought some of Lu's things that we thought he might be needing during his...stay...with you." Sabo said easily, making Ace jealous of his brother's calm demeanor.

"Oh?" Dogtooth said, "I am sure he will appreciate it. You can put it down on the floor. I will take it to him later."

The brothers heard the dismissal in his tone even as they turned to set their bags down but they knew they couldn't leave...not yet…

" _...can't we just lie to Marco?"_ Ace wondered desperately as he and Sabo stood awkwardly in front of Dogtooth's desk. He hated feeling like a naughty school boy in the principal's office.

"Is there something else?" Dogtooth asked, studying the pair.

"Ace has something to say!" Sabo blurted, elbowing his brother while trying to keep an innocent look on his face.

"...traitor…" Ace muttered, elbowing him back. This _would_ have devolved into a nearly silent argument and/or fist fight had Dogtooth not cleared his throat,

"Gentlemen, I don't have all day." he prompted them and they both straightened immediately.

" _Well...we're here now...and we did mess up...and he is being disgustingly polite…"_ Ace reasoned, taking a deep breath before saying,

"I'm sorry." _That_ got the other man's attention, his eyebrow raised in question before Ace continued, bowing deeply at the waist "I'm sorry for my actions and...losing my temper...and insulting you. Please forgive me."

"I also owe you an apology, Sir." Sabo said, and Ace could see him copying his bow out of the corner of his eye, "I should not have questioned your word or your honor, especially not in your own home after you had endeavored to be hospitable. Please accept my sincerest apologies."

" _...how is he so good at this?"_ Ace thought, " _It's that dang accent...makes everything sound sincere…"_

For a moment Dogtooth was silent, though they could feel his gaze studying them thoughtfully before he said,

"I am glad that you recognized your misdeeds and I accept your apologies. Though, I would ask that you have a little faith in me. Your younger brother is perfectly safe in my house."

Ace and Sabo straightened as he continued,

"So tell me, what is it you've brought him?"

"Um...well, clothes mainly." Ace admitted, "We thought he might like to not have to wear your shirts like a dress every time he turned human." Dogtooth nodded at this so Ace continued, "We also brought some of his favorite snacks."

"Not that we think you're not feeding him enough," Sabo jumped in quickly, trying to avoid further insult, "but we should inform you that Lu has a metabolic disorder known as hyperthyroidism...basically he continuously feels hungry along with a few other symptoms, which is why the snacks are so important. We also brought all of his medications...you may need to be...er...firm with him...he doesn't like medicine."

"We hide it in his food a lot," Ace offered, "Well, Sabo does, I usually just shove the things down his throat."

"Uh...huh…" Dogtooth said, "...good to know…"

"Oh! Here are his textbooks." Sabo said, lifting one of the larger bags and plopping it onto Dogtooth's desk, "He's a little behind but I took the liberty of explaining...a version...of the situation to his professors. He'll be able to catch up in no time." Dogtooth reached into the bag and pulled out one of the textbooks,

"What exactly does he study to need so many books?" he asked, staring at the massive thing. Ace smiled proudly,

"Kinesiology!" Dogtooth looked up,

"You're kidding."

"No, believe it or not, Ace's telling the truth." Sabo put in, "Lu is smarter than he looks...when he puts his mind to it…now, I think that's all."

The two of them turned to leave but Ace stopped abruptly, turning back to Dogtooth,

"Oh, tell Lu that Sunny's in there too." he said and they left, as quickly as they could without appearing as though they were running away from the situation. Ace and Sabo both gave Marco a thumbs up and a large grin as they made their way to the car.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with." Thatch remarked as the two younger men climbed into the vehicle,

"Yes," Marco agreed, "Good job, both of you. Now that Luffy's safe, we do need to discuss what we're going to do next." The other three looked at him expectantly, waiting for his next words. Marco gave them a smirk,

"It's time we found out what's really going on in this city."

* * *

 **End Note:** Author Foo here, don't you guys love how Marco always has to get the last word? He's very dramatic.

Anyway, we have a thing to tell you about...we are going to be posting another story! The idea is that it'll be a series of one shots in the Outbreak universe so if you have a request please let us know! We're up for writing anything that's not...explicit...we like to keep our writing PG-13 lol. The first one shot will be for one Jui-Imouto-Chan, who gave us a fantastic idea in a review (thank you for that!)

Once again, thank you all for reading this story!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Authors' Note:** Hello again, faithful readers! Before anything we just want to remind you that we love you even though this chapter might...hurt...um...have fun?

 **Review Responses:**

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Hey again! You were first this time, we're so proud of you XD We really appreciate all of your support for our story! Ace and Sabo _kinda_ messed up...it needed to be done. Yes, Sunny is a massive stuffed lion that Luffy likes to snuggle with (isn't that just the most adorable thing to picture?) We have no idea what Lucci's doing right now, probably still chilling on Franky and Robin's porch tbh, though we'll catch up with him later.

 **Jordansdevil:** Yeah, Kinesiology is a very interesting field, it happens to be what Author Lu specializes in. You are _so_ right that it's strange for Luffy to be using his head for something other than as a weapon but we thought it fit well :) Thanks for the review!

 **Yukino76:** Ace realized he'd messed up so that helped him keep his calm, especially after Thatch and Marco called him on it. Yes, Law is definitely a mother hen towards Luffy...but who isn't? As for Doffy...well...we'll see. Good to hear from you again! :)

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** Jui! Hello, how are you? We're glad you liked your one shot :) If you have any others you want, just leave a review in the one shot story and we'll try our best! Wishes? *Author Foo whispers to Author Lu* Was there a number?  
Yeah, one look at Luffy's disappointed face and they'd be groveling for sure. Yes, Marco is great, not only is he the king of ending chapters dramatically, but he also has the ability to calm the raging inferno that is Ace...mostly with drugs...but whatever works right? Law is...a bit...more worried than he lets on...and for good reason... cannibalistic threats huh? Well, if it's not a big deal to you, it's not a big deal to us...we _are_ genies remember ;)

 **Shellina:** Sweden? That's epic! We were just a _little_ bit off lol. Yes, Sabo is _definitely_ British, he's very refined after all...and Ace...well...he tries to be refined, it's kind of adorable. XD Yes, the interactions with this group won't be ending any time soon, as much as Ace would like them to. Ideas for one shots can be left in a review on the one shot story we've posted :) See you next time!

 **sdkop21:** New reviewer! Hello! Thanks for checking out our story, hope you keep enjoying it as you stick around :) Thanks for the review!

 **Warnings:**

\- animal abuse  
\- mentions of drugs  
\- angst...lots of angst  
\- Luffy is a bit out of character...pls remember he's dealing with physical and mental health issues and all the weirdness that comes with being forcibly turned into a cat and back into a human multiple times.

* * *

 **TEACH'S POV**

"And this is the holding facility where we are keeping the two hundred animals we've managed to capture." Teach said, "As you can see, we have been working very hard to meet your quota." he gestured to the mountain of cages, stacked on top of each other precariously. "In the state they're in, they won't be going anywhere! Zehahahaha!"

"By your own estimate that would leave around three hundred still on the loose." Jack pointed out, following Teach into the smelly room and kicking the nearest cage out of his way, startling the quivering ferret inside.

"Well, yes….but we are working around the clock to capture the remaining subjects!" Teach assured the man,

"I don't need your excuses." Jack sneered, "You promised the boss drugs that were three times more potent than any other in existence and all we've seen so far is a pathetic excuse for a street drug! What about the _special strain_ you were going to give us?"

"W-well...we have four targets that we are….erm….working on capturing that will provide us with what we need." Teach's eyes widened as Jack suddenly grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close to glare down at him,

"Don't forget the position you're in." the man warned, "the _only_ reason Whitebeard hasn't found you yet is because _we_ are protecting you. We can _and will_ throw you to the wolves the second you are no longer useful. Kaido needs more than some little steroid to achieve his dreams and you promised us that. You had better not disappoint him." Teach thrashed in the larger man's grip, trying in vain to get away,

"B-but, Do-Dogtooth's been interfering!" he protested. Jack snorted,

"Dogtooth? He's nothing but a spoiled mama's boy who spends his days running after toddlers! Just get it done on time and you may still live to rule one day." with that, he threw Teach into one of the stacks of cages, knocking quite a few of them over in the process, before spinning and stalking out of the room.

"Do we really need to take this?" LaFitte asked, appearing from where he'd been waiting deeper in the room, hidden behind the cages. Teach sat up, glowering at the door Jack had disappeared through as he wiped a bit of blood off of his cheek,

"For now." he growled, "We'll give him what he wants since he's keeping the old man off my back. But one day, I will rule this city _and_ his city and anyone else's I desire! I will be the most powerful man in the underworld! Get Caesar to work faster and get Burgess in here."

"Of course." LaFitte said, before turning to do as he was told.

"Wow, he really gave it to ya, huh Boss!" Burgess laughed as he entered the room. Teach glared at him,

"Shut up, Idiot. None of this would have happened if you'd actually managed to do your job!"

"We've captured over two hundred animals!" Burgess protested, "I would say I'm doing my job pretty well!"

"Yes, two hundred animals, which means _three hundred_ are still out there! You aren't even halfway done! Take what money is left in the reserves and hire more men. Kaido is loaning us some of his forces but I don't want to take more than I have to from him, especially not when he's already angry with me. Burgess, we _have_ to capture at least one of the primary targets. What's their status?"

"Well, the zoo sucks." Burgess informed him, "Their security's tight and all of our attempts to get in have failed miserably. Smoker's a challenge, he's moving constantly and we can't exactly storm the police station, or the hospital for that matter...he's too unpredictable in his movements. Dogtooth….um...we've located his base, well, we _thought_ we located his base...but we were completely wrong. Then we decided to follow the Phoenix and they led us right to his base! Kinda weird that he lives in the suburbs…"

"They didn't see you did they?" Teach asked, inwardly cursing.

"No, no!" Burgess assured him, "Of course they didn't see us! We stayed _very_ far back! Anyway, we're assuming that they went to see Dogtooth about Fire Fist's brother, who's still there. What do you expect us to do in this situation? Dogtooth is very powerful." Teach sighed and buried his face in his hand,

"...put more people on them, if they see even the slightest opportunity, they take it, _no matter the cost._ We have a deadline, Burgess, we _need_ one of them before the month is out."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Burgess replied, taking his words as the dismissal they were and leaving quickly. Teach groaned,

"If only I had the funds to hire men like Kaido's."

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Ever since Kuri had found out that his cat was actually a human he had been acting really, really weird and Luffy just couldn't understand why. He still made sure Luffy was fed and taken care of but he'd been moved to a guest room and was no longer permitted entrance to the man's personal room or office unless absolutely necessary. There were no more cuddles, or bellyrubs...or anything other than the occasional pat on the head. On top of _that_ the nice collar he'd picked out had been taken away and Kuri no longer smiled at him, hiding most of his face with the heavy scarf that Luffy had come to dislike. He only enjoyed the scarf when he was able to sleep in it, not when it was covering Kuri's nice smile.

" _...did I...did I do something wrong?"_ Luffy wondered, " _Does Kuri not like me anymore?"_

He stared at the door to Katakuri's room, taking in the many shallow lines he'd gouged into the wood trying to get the man to let him in. He spent a lot of time just sitting there, trying to figure out a way to make Kuri like him again, though he hadn't gotten much farther than meowing loudly and clawing at the door until one of the younger Charlotte's came and took him away or he got tired and returned to his own room to try and sleep.

" _...what if I….oh...my stomach is growling...can't think without food…"_ Luffy stood and slowly made his way to the kitchen where he knew Brulee was waiting.

He shuddered, remembering when she'd found out about all of the nasty pills he was supposed to be taking...for that thing he had that made him hungry all the time...that had _not_ been pretty and he had already decided his brothers would be paying for telling anyone about his meds. They _knew_ how he felt about telling people! Anytime anyone found out, no matter who it was, they would begin treating him like he was fragile, which only made him angry since he knew he was anything but. Luffy stopped walking briefly as a thought occurred to him,

" _Does Kuri not like me because he thinks I'm weak?"_ he snorted in annoyance and started walking again, " _Once I turn back into a human I'll show him just how weak I am!"_ with this thought, not paying attention to where he was going, Luffy managed to trip over his own paws and roll a bit before quickly standing up and aggressively licking at his chest fur. His eyes widened when he realized what he was doing and he shook his head,

" _No, don't do that. You're a human, not a cat!"_ he told himself sternly, walking as quickly as he could down the hallway and hoping no one saw that. He walked passed his new room, catching a glimpse of his lion plushie, Sunny, who'd been a gift from Shanks years earlier to help keep the nightmares at bay.

" _With the way Kuri's acting, I'm glad they brought me Sunny...I wouldn't have been able to sleep otherwise...don't know what Sabo expects me to do with my textbooks though, it's not like I can read them when I'm this small."_

Luffy's stomach growled even louder as he _finally_ reached the kitchen, a delicious smell wafting out to greet him.

"Here for your nightly snack, Little One?" Brulee asked, "Remember, no food until you have taken all of your medicine." Luffy growled at her even as she picked him up and placed him on the counter. "Don't you use that tone with me," the woman scolded him, "I only found out a few days ago. Do you understand how important it is that you manage this disorder? You could have _died,_ you probably _would_ have died had your brothers not told us! I will not have your death on my hands, mister."

" _I don't think it's as bad as all that…"_ Luffy thought, but sighed as Brulee put the plate of medicine in front of him.

"You're going to have to be a lot nicer to me if you want me to put peanut butter on them." she informed him, "No, don't roll your eyes. Stop moping and give me a cuddle if you want it to taste better."

Luffy purred and jumped into Brulee's arms. He missed all of the cuddling he'd gotten used to over the past few weeks. Brulee's cuddles were fine but Kuri's were better, he was warmer and...was somehow able to make Luffy feel safe.

After cuddling for a bit, Luffy forced himself to eat the pills, thankful for the little bit of peanut butter Brulee had given him. He ate his snack, which was a small bowl of leftover brisket, and meowed at the woman.

"No, no more tonight. I'll give you a big breakfast in the morning." Brulee said, smiling at him and placing him back down on the floor. Luffy huffed but went on his way. Kuri's sister had become rather strict with his meals after learning about his metabolic issues.

Luffy went back to his room, pausing for a moment to stare at the closed door to Kuri's room before sighing and making his way to his bed, jumping as high as he could and clawing his way up to the top. Luffy shivered noting how much colder it was in this room, or any room really, without Kuri. He looked over at Sunny, then at the warm blanket on the other side of the bed, and sighed as he heard the AC turn on.

" _I need that blanket or I might actually freeze to death tonight…"_ Luffy thought, making his way to the blanket and sinking his teeth into it in an attempt to drag it over to Sunny. The thing didn't move. He growled and readjusted his grip on the blanket before pulling as hard as he could only to go flying backward as he suddenly grew, white-hot pain shooting through his bones. Luffy landed on his back and lay there for a few seconds, just breathing as the pain lessened to a more bearable level before he slowly moved to rearrange the bed.

Not bothering with clothes, Luffy burrowed into the blankets, hugging Sunny tightly as he tried to relax, knowing that when he woke he would likely be a cat once more.

Feeling more alone than he had in years, Luffy held back tears as he muttered,

"I will fix this...I have to...whatever I did...I'll make it right."

* * *

 **BRULEE'S POV**

Brulee did what she did every night and had done for as long as she could remember, check on each of her younger siblings, making sure they were where they were supposed to be: lights off, technology turned off, and sound asleep. Walking down the hallway, she made her way to where Luffy was staying, hoping that he had managed to get onto the bed okay. (She'd caught him sleeping on the floor once before and did _not_ want a repeat of that). She moved to open the door, knowing she would need to turn his light off for him, but stopped when a quiet, unfamiliar voice said,

"I will fix this...I have to...whatever I did...I'll make it right." the voice was weak, accompanied by a few sniffles that had her opening the door before she could stop herself.

Luffy sat up in bed, clutching that stuffed lion his brothers had brought for him and looking miserable. His ears drooped, laying back against his head and his eyes were red and puffy though no tears had managed to fall. Brulee felt her heart break as she moved into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Aw, Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked, "Are you in pain? Do I need to get you something?"

"N-no, I'm fine…" Luffy replied quietly, dropping his gaze to his lap.

"Well, if it doesn't hurt, why are you crying?" Brulee asked carefully, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. Luffy sniffed once, twice, and suddenly she had a sobbing teenager in her arms. One of his hands latched onto the side of her shirt as he buried his face in her chest, the other still held on tight to his lion. "Oh, sweetheart…" Brulee sighed, holding the shaking boy close and stroking his hair. After a moment, he began to try to speak through his tears,

"I...I...d-did some-something wrong." he managed to get out, "w-why else wo-wou-would K-Kuri not wa-want t-t-to see m-me anymore?"

"oh, no-" Brulee tried to reply but Luffy wasn't done yet,

"He-he- he was so nice be-before b-b-but n-now...d-do you thi-think he ha-hates me n-now? I-I've got- I've gotta f-fix it…"

Brulee's eyes widened as she listened. Her _idiot_ brother had pushed this poor kid away without so much as a word of explanation. This was completely unacceptable. Carefully, Brulee pushed Luffy back until she could see his face, keeping him close and wiping away his tears with her sleeve as she said,

"First of all, I need you to know that this is _not your fault._ " Luffy opened his mouth to protest at that but she kept going, "No, you have done absolutely nothing wrong and I am going to fix this." she smiled reassuringly at the boy and pulled him close again, "Katakuri is just...a bit surprised...don't worry, I'll make sure he's back to normal in no time."

"Really?" Luffy asked hopefully,

"Yes, really." Brulee assured him, "and until then, no more tears, okay?" she waited until she felt the boy nod before she continued speaking, "Let's get you to bed then, I'm sure you'll sleep well with that off your chest."

Luffy reluctantly let go of Brulee and lay back as she fussed over him, making sure he was comfortable and warm enough before tucking him in and moving to turn off all of the lights. He didn't protest to the overhead light or the lamp on his nightstand turning off but he stopped her as she moved towards the small lamp on his desk,

"Could you leave that one on, please?" he asked quietly and Brulee smiled,

"Of course,"

As she went to leave the room, Luffy's voice stopped her,

"...don't tell Kuri I cried...please?"

"I won't." Brulee assured him, "I promise."

At that, she left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

" _I wonder if Katakuri knows what he's done by pushing Luffy away."_ she thought furiously, " _That idiot needs to know just how much he's hurting the boy."_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Authors' Note:** For those in the United States, happy Independence Day :) enjoy the new chapter!

ALSO, the one shots story...thing...is up and creatively named Outbreak One Shots, feel free to leave requests via reviews over there. Thank you! XD

 **Review Responses:  
**

 **Jordansdevil:** Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the review!

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** We are happy that we made you cry...(is that a bad thing?) It was a very emotional chapter to write, poor Lu, and honestly this chapter was just as bad...so have fun with that. We try really hard with the descriptions so we're glad that they managed to hit you right in the feels ;) Katakuri's cuddles will be returning, don't worry!

 **Jui-Imouto-Chan:** Hey Jui! First of all, the pun was great, we appreciate it lol. Brulee is going into mother mode with Luffy and Kuri is _definitely_ going to suffer because of it. Yes, the hormonal imbalance is definitely something to consider on top of all of his other problems, poor Lu. We love your fashion show idea, it'll most likely make an appearance as a one shot soon :) Thanks for the review!

 **Shellina123:** Welcome back! We're glad that you saw the situation, and Luffy's out of character reactions/moments, as being real/relatable, that was definitely the intention there. Brulee is doing such a good job! Would you believe that when we first met her in the actual storyline/universe we didn't like her? _But_ after seeing her past with Kuri, how could we not love her? :)

 **Yukino76:** Thanks for the review! Kuri definitely needs to be careful since he didn't let Luffy go with his brothers in the first place XD

 **Son of Whitebeard:** Hey, you're back! Yes, the mystery continues...

 **WARNINGS:**

\- family meeting  
\- awkward Kuri  
\- psychological trauma  
\- panic attacks  
\- violence  
\- animal abuse  
\- Flambe…

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri wasn't really sure how he was supposed to be acting in regard to his cat who was, apparently, a human. Cracker had found that particularly amusing, especially since some of his own words regarding anyone foolish enough to take the boy had been rather...harsh.

After the awkward meeting with the Whitebeards, he had taken King...Luffy...back to his office to make sure that he was okay, only to find that the tiny kitten had fallen asleep in his scarf, as he usually did. But, it seemed different somehow. Different enough that, instead of allowing the kitten to continue sleeping in his scarf, he had carefully removed him and placed him on the cat bed he'd bought not that long ago. Katakuri sat back and studied the kitten for a moment before making up his mind and removing the collar. It had been very...weird...seeing the collar he'd bought King around the neck of a kid…. _very_ weird… It was lucky that the thing was made of some insanely stretchy material, it was a miracle the kid hadn't suffocated the second he'd turned back... The private investigator's explanation of what had happened certainly filled in a few gaps, like why King was such a strange cat and seemed to understand everything he said.

What was he supposed to do now?

As the days went on, Katakuri found himself pushing Luffy away more and more, though he always made sure the boy had everything he needed, he couldn't bring himself to interact with him like he used to. Thankfully, Brulee had agreed to make sure he took his pills daily and was eating enough. From what Katakuri understood, when Luffy was stuck as a cat the disorder didn't affect him as much, but now that he was turning human more and more often, he needed to be taking his pills regularly.

Katakuri sighed as the sound of tiny claws and loud meows began on the other side of his office door, as they had everyday since he'd decided to deny the boy entrance. It just….it wasn't the same. With King, he could truly be himself, but he really didn't know Luffy the human. He still cared very much for the little cat...human...he was just confused on how to act. With King he had shown so many of his vulnerabilities, he had even let him see his scars. What would the kid have to say about his deformity? Katakuri didn't want to admit it, but he was a bit too scared to find out.

The next morning, Katakuri was awoken by Brulee storming into his room, a dangerous glare on her face.

"Get up." she demanded, "We are having a family meeting. In the parlor. You have five minutes."

Katakuri was...concerned. _He_ was the one that usually called family meetings so if Brulee was doing it...he must have really done something wrong. He didn't dare argue with his sister, not when she glared at him like that, sitting up instead and moving to get ready as quickly as possible.

Five minutes later, Katakuri found himself back in his chair in the parlor surrounded by his younger siblings, all glaring at him. He crossed his arms and tried to appear relaxed as he asked,

"What did I do?" Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do. Brulee scowled down at him,

"Oh you don't know, do you?" she sneered, "Cracker! Please, tell him _exactly_ what he's done wrong."

"Um...well...you see…." Cracker began, stumbling over his words until Brulee cut him off,

"You are pushing Luffy away." she informed him, "And it is hurting the poor boy."

"I-" Katakuri tried but Brulee kept going,

"No! I don't want to hear any excuses! I talked to him last night you know, something _you_ haven't done in days! He was... _very upset_! You of all people should know that he hates being alone and yet here you are sticking him in an extra bedroom with nothing but a stuffed lion to keep him company! Do you know what he asked me last night? He asked me what _he_ had done wrong! He thinks the way _you_ are acting is because of something he has done! He thinks you _hate_ him, Charlotte Katakuri!" she snapped, "Everyday he sits outside your door, scratching and meowing, wanting you to give him some semblance of attention yet you ignore him still! I know you can hear him, the rest of the house certainly can! You fought for him to remain here yet you leave him for the rest of us to take care of and ignore his very existence! If you were just going to treat him like this, you should have let him go home with his brothers."

The room was silent as Brulee caught her breath, the rest of their siblings awkwardly avoiding making eye contact with any of the room's other occupants. Katakuri was honestly shocked. Brulee hadn't given him a lecture like this since she'd decided to convince him to leave his scarf off when it was just the two of them.

"Luffy was truly _that upset_?" Katakuri managed to get out, voice barely audible.

"He was." Brulee informed him, "He likely still is. You should have seen this coming with how well you claimed to know King."

" _...she's right…."_ Katakuri frowned, " _I really should have seen this coming. He's my responsibility...I need to stop being such a coward."_

"I...I am truly sorry everyone," he said finally, "Brulee's right, while Luffy is here, it is my responsibility to care for him and make sure he is happy. To be honest, discovering his true nature has been...shocking...though that's no excuse to be treating him in such a way. Please forgive me?"

"We accept your apology." Brulee said, "But it is not us you really need to be apologizing to." Katakuri nodded,

"I will make it up to him." he assured her, "I owe him that much."

He meant those words yet, hours later, he was still trying to figure out what to do. He glanced at the window, realizing that night had fallen as he sat in his office, thinking.

" _Literally the entire day and still no idea….and I haven't heard anything from Luffy all day either...I hope he's okay….maybe if I sleep on it, it'll come to me…."_

Katakuri left his office, glancing down the hall at Luffy's closed door. For a moment, he considered going to check on him, but he sighed instead and turned to walk to his own room. Climbing into bed and turning off the lamp, Katakuri heard the beginning rumble of a thunderstorm as he lay down and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Everything was dark. Luffy had been sure that moments before he was running for his life, still out of breath from the activity, but then he couldn't see and he was very much alone.

In the next moment, he found himself lying at the bottom of the familiar stairs leading to his apartment, staring up at the comforting form of Kuri as he crouched to inspect him. Luffy wondered briefly if he was just going to relive his own memories but then Katakuri was standing again, face contorted into an ugly sneer as he said,

"What a pathetic creature." With that, the man turned and walked away and Luffy was left alone as he lay helpless, dying, as a puddle of his own blood spread around him.

Then Luffy was falling through the darkness landing with a splash in a flooded gutter on the side of the road. He shivered violently as the icy rain pierced him to the bone, the currents threatening to rip his feet out from under him. It was then that he saw the familiar headlights coming towards him and he was once again unable to move. Luffy searched desperately for any sign of the leopard that had saved him before but he was completely alone except for the car barreling towards him. He stared down the vehicle as it approached, knowing that help wouldn't come, and saw, to his horror, that the people inside the car were his own brothers. Luffy shut his eyes moments before impact and found himself falling once again.

This time, the darkness remained but the sound of jewelry clinking together around him told him where he was. Luffy fought for breath as the box was shaken again and again, certain that one of the long chains had found its way around his throat and was constricting every time he moved.

"What's wrong, Little Rat?" sang the little girl's voice, "I thought the little cripple wanted to play with me? It's not like Big Brother has any time for useless rats like you. Just a broken toy."

This time, there was no Kuri there to pick Luffy up and yell at the girl. This time, the child didn't dump the box out on the floor. No, this time the child threw the box somewhere...warm...no, _hot._

Suddenly, Luffy was no longer in a jewelry box as flames lit up the space around him and he found himself in the burning building that had haunted his dreams for most of his life. He spun, trying to see a way out as the smoke burned his eyes and flames began closing in. He scrambled to find and exit but as he watched, the room seemed to become smaller and smaller. There was no way he would ever be able to reach the door.

Something else caught his eye, as he turned from the door to try and find some other way out. Corpses. The smoldering corpses of his brothers, their vacant eyes staring up at him, faces twisted in the pain they must have felt as they died. Luffy backed away in horror, the sudden, overpowering stench of burning flesh making him gag. He turned and found more corpses waiting for him, anyone and everyone he cared for just laying there. Dead. He might have imagined it, but there was something like accusation on their faces, becoming more and more prominent as he watched. Then he heard an ominous crack as the beam above him weakened and warped. He knew what happened next and it was the cold blank stares of the dead that froze him in place this time as the glowing red beam fell and burned its mark into his chest.

Luffy woke up screaming, tears streaming down his face as his eyes searched the darkness. He heaved in breaths of cool air but it felt as though they did him little good, his mind telling him that something was still wrapped around his throat intent on stopping his racing heart. Shaking, Luffy tentatively felt his way to his lamp's switch and attempted to turn it on, hoping that the light might help in some way. The lamp, however, stayed dark no matter how many times he tried. Luffy's shaking increased and his breaths came in short, heavy gasps as he tried again and again to get some sort of light to fill the room, paying no attention to the sound of pouring rain and rushing wind outside until a massive clap of thunder shook the entire house, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning, leaving Luffy half blind, his ears ringing.

The next thing Luffy knew, he was fighting his way to his door,trying desperately to tear off the tendrils of the thing attempting to keep him in place, ending up flat on his face as the thing trapped one of his legs. He tasted blood in his mouth even as he wrenched his ankle away and jumped to his feet, sprinting out the door and down the hall, not even thinking as he threw open Kuri's door and leaped onto the bed.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri startled awake as his door was thrown violently open, sitting up just in time to catch the small body that flung itself at him. Out of habit, he held the shaking body close, rubbing calming circles into its back. He was used to doing this for his family. It was then that he realized, that this could not possibly be one of his younger siblings as none of the ones that lived with him were quite this small, since Flambe had been sent home.

" _So who…."_ Katakuri wondered, suddenly noticing the telltale ears pressed back against the wild raven hair.

"Luffy?" he asked, voice rough from sleep. He tightened his hold a bit as the only answer he received came in the form of loud, shuddering sobs.

" _Is he hyperventilating?!"_ Katakuri pulled the boy even closer and focused on steadying his own breathing.

"Luffy, breathe with me. Just breathe." He tried for a few minutes but quickly realized that nothing he said got the boy's attention.

" _This isn't working!"_ Katakuri inwardly groaned, " _He's going to pass out at this rate. I need to get his attention...I wonder how his brothers deal with this? Uh….wait! Don't they call him something specific?"_ He went back through his memories of their meeting, frowning, then it came to him.

"uh...L-" Katakuri tried to force the nickname out of his mouth, trying to ignore just how awkward it felt to say such an...intimate...name. "er...L-L…" he sighed and contemplated actually calling the boy's brothers before he realized that was _never_ going to happen. They had left Luffy in his care and he would not be going back on his word.

Katakuri moved one of his hands to the back of Luffy's neck, gently guiding his head back until the boy's wide, unfocused eyes were staring up at his face as he said,

"Lu, you need to calm down. Breathe."

Luffy's eyes cleared a bit at the sound of his nickname and Katakuri bit back a sigh of relief as the boy's gasps for breath began to calm into a more regulated, normal breathing pattern.

"K-Kuri?" Luffy's voice broke, hesitant, as he stared up at the man, "I-I'm scared..ca-an I sleep with you?"

"It's okay, Lu." Katakuri assured him, pulling the boy close again, "You're safe. I've got you. Go back to sleep." He kept repeating himself, rocking slightly until he felt Luffy go limp in his arms. Katakuri smiled fondly at the boy as he moved to situate him more comfortably in the bed wondering how and why he had been stupid enough to push him away. No matter what body he was in, this was still King, the cat that he had opened his heart to. He had some serious apologizing to do. He also had some questions that needed to be answered. What on earth had caused such terror? He would get answers in the morning.

Katakuri lay down next to Luffy, pulling the covers over both of them and reaching over to briefly stroke soft cat ears before settling in and closing his eyes. It was then that a thought occurred to him.

" _Is Luffy wearing any clothes?"_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Authors' Note:** Hello wonderful readers, hope you are all doing well (Jui are you okay? We love you) Here's the next chapter, enjoy :)

 **Review Responses:**

 **Jordansdevil:** The fire is really mentioned for development purposes...unless we suddenly have a crazy idea and it somehow becomes a major thing in the plot...for now though, it's there as a bit of an explanation for how Luffy acts and the PTSD issues he's displayed...also his scar. Thanks for the review!

 **Yukino76:** Thank you for the review! :)

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Ah yes, let the tears continue (good tears of course) it's always a goal for writers to get their readers to feel real emotions for what they've written so thank you!

 **Shellina123:** Your reviews are always so touching, thank you so much for your kind words and your feedback! Yes, Brulee is the only one who can handle Kuri...and there will be more to come ;) Luffy has a way of breaking down walls around people's hearts...especially Kuri's. Thank you so much for the review!

 **Warnings:**

\- misunderstandings (...we should honestly just call this story "All the Misunderstandings")  
\- hurt and comfort  
\- emotionally vulnerable Luffy  
\- threats to one's spleen...  
\- classic brown leather wingback chair (v important and majestic...please feel free to look up a picture)

* * *

 **BRULEE'S POV**

When Brulee went to check on Luffy, as she did most mornings, and found that he wasn't there...well...to say that she freaked out was an understatement. She went room to room, searching for him, and found nothing even after she'd checked most rooms twice and forced many of her younger siblings to search as well. After the second sweep turned up empty, she hurried to Katakuri's room, the only place that hadn't been searched, and threw open the door, not even bothering to knock as she usually did.

"Brother! Have you seen -" Brulee stopped abruptly, trying to make sense of what exactly she was seeing.

The good news was that she found Luffy, sleeping safely in her brother's arms.

The bad news was that...he appeared to be... _naked_...and in her brother's arms.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of this so she did the first thing that came to mind. She yelled.

"CHARLOTTE KATAKURI! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!" she took great pride in watching her brother startle awake, blinking uncharacteristically in confusion instead of instantly going on the attack. Brulee took a deep breath and pursed her lips, glaring disdainfully at the man as she attempted to calm herself before continuing in a much quieter voice, "When I told you to make up with him, this is _not_ what I meant…"

Katakuri stared at her for a moment, not quite comprehending what she was saying, then looked down as Luffy snuggled into his bare chest, eyes widening as he realized why his sister was upset.

"This...this is not what it looks like, I swear!"

"Indeed…" came the disbelieving response, "He just... _happened_ to end up in your bed in a state of undress then?"

"Well…" Katakuri began but was cut off by the flash of a camera from over Brulee's shoulder as Cracker appeared, grinning mischievously.

"Wow, Brother! This is _really_ unexpected! I thought you'd be single forever but I guess congratulations are in order...I should post the news on the family Facebook page! Though...isn't he a bit... _young_?"

Katakuri glared at his younger brother as he slowly attempted to shift Luffy without waking him and get out of bed...not that Luffy allowed that, his grip tightening every time the man moved.

"You post that picture and I will remove your spleen!" Katakuri hissed, giving up on going after Cracker as Luffy groaned in protest, waking up enough to say,

"Nooooo…Kuri staaayyy…..you're waaaarm…"

" _Awww, so cute…...NO! Your brother has stolen something from him and this must..no, WILL be addressed! Don't get drawn in!"_ Brulee mentally scolded herself, trying desperately to remember that Luffy was the victim here, just a child in her eyes, and this should never, under any circumstances, be cute.

"Brother, I expect you dressed and in the dining room in five minutes," Brulee said, voice deceptively calm before she spun on her heel and stalked away, dragging a snickering Cracker behind her.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Five minutes later, after managing to escape Luffy's iron grip, Katakuri sat awkwardly in the chair Brulee had directed him to when he entered, right across from her in the center of the dining table where he could best be surrounded by glares from all of his siblings.

" _Most of them probably have no idea why they're angry with me...Brulee likely just told them to glare...Cracker's is unconvincing, to say the least."_

Cracker, for his part, was obviously trying not to laugh and failing spectacularly as he let out quiet coughs in an attempt to disguise anything that escaped.

"If you would just allow me to explain…" Katakuri tried, but was once again cut off,

"And just _what_ is there to explain?!" Brulee demanded dryly, "I walked in on you...with him!"

"Yes, sleeping," Katakuri confirmed,

"Oh re-"

"No, stop interrupting and let me explain, Brulee." the man continued, "Last night during the thunderstorm, Luffy had an...intense...nightmare that subsequently led to a panic attack. He was hyperventilating and on the verge of passing out when he entered my room. Once I managed to calm him down, I allowed him to stay with me for the night, just as I did for most, if not all of you when you were young."

"How do you explain his lack of clothing then?" Brulee shot back, not quite ready to allow her anger to fade,

"First of all, he was wearing shorts. I checked before I fell asleep. Second, I believe it was _you_ Brulee, that told me that, as his changes have been rather unpredictable, he sometimes doesn't even bother with clothing, knowing that he will be a cat the next morning anyway. In short, _nothing_ happened." Katakuri assured them, "I was simply taking care of him as I promised I would."

Brulee studied her brother for a moment, features gradually softening though her suspicion never fully left as she said, "I will be speaking to Luffy himself about this later but, for now, I will take your word for it." Katakuri sighed in relief and noticed that the rest of the family relaxed as well, most of them reverting to the half-asleep state they were usually in in the morning before Cracker spoke up.

"Am I the only one that's disappointed?" he sighed dramatically, "I think it would have been nice for our big brother to have finally found someone."

Their other siblings were instantly stifling laughter of their own before Katakuri's fork flew across the table and pinned Cracker to the wall by the hair, the force of the projectile knocking him out of his chair. No one laughed after that as Katakuri said,

"Alright, let's eat."

Two hours later, after one of the most awkward family breakfasts to date, Katakuri sat in his brown leather wingback chair reading a book, having finished most of his pressing paperwork an hour ago. He was about halfway through a chapter when he saw Luffy moving out of the corner of his eye He removed his reading glasses and set his book aside, watching the boy's cat ears twitch as he yawned and stretched.

"You're finally awake, are you?" Katakuri commented calmly, "You certainly slept a long time, though I don't blame you after the night you had." Luffy's confused gaze sought the man out,

"Kuri?" he asked quietly, not completely awake yet, "Why are you...why am I…" he blinked, eyes quickly scanning the room, "where are my pants?" Amused, Katakuri stood and walked over the bed,

"You weren't wearing them when you barged in last night." With those words, Luffy's eyes widened as memories of the night before came flooding in. The boy was instantly trying to get out of the large bed, stammering apologies as he went,

"S-sorry, I know you didn't want to see me….I'll be going now...er...sorry…" Luffy managed as he went to stand, ears pressed back against his head with his uncertainty. In his rush, he somehow got his legs tangled in the sheets and began to plummet towards the floor. Katakuri dove to catch him, just barely stopping him from landing on his head.

"Are you alright?" he asked, pulling the boy back to a sitting position on the bed. To his horror, tears welled up in the large, brown eyes and Luffy sniffled, curling in on himself as he mumbled,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" not stopping until Katakuri picked him up and carried him over to his chair, sitting himself down and holding the teen close. Once he had calmed down enough for Katakuri to be sure his words would be heard and understood, he said,

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Luffy, I am the one who owes you an apology. I have been pushing you away when I should have been helping you through your unpredictable and painful changes." Katakuri reached up and fingered the scarf he wore low around his neck, "I let my own insecurities take precedence and blind me to how you were feeling, for that, I am truly sorry." He moved his hand away from the scarf, gently petting the boy's cat ears instead. Luffy's tail rose and swayed about behind him as he smiled happily and leaned into the touch.

"Do you really mean it, Kuri?" he asked hopefully and Katakuri gave him his own small smile,

"Of course, Luffy," he said calmly, "I wouldn't lie to you."

"So you _do_ want me?" came the next, innocent question and Katakuri could have sworn that he felt Brulee's glare from across the house...he also couldn't stop the bright blush that spread across his face though, thankfully, Luffy wasn't looking at him and didn't notice.

"Um...I...well...I promised your brothers that I would take care of you and I intend to honor that promise." That earned him a massive grin from Luffy,

"So...I can hang out with you again?"

"Yes, you can."

"I can spend more time with you like I used to?" Luffy asked though Katakuri wondered if this question was any different from the previous.

"Yes."

"...can...can I...sleep in your bed again?" he asked hopefully, his eyes gleaming. Once again, Katakuri could feel Brulee's glare burning into his soul even though he wasn't really certain of her location at the moment…

"We'll...we'll talk about it…" he managed to force out. He was not prepared for Luffy throwing himself at his face in his excitement, knocking the breath out of his lungs and nearly toppling the chair.

"Love you, Kuri!" Luffy chirped and Katakuri's heart stopped.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Authors' Note:** Hey guys, hope you enjoy chapter seventeen! :)

 **Review Responses:**

 **Yukino76:** This is truth. Thanks for the review!

 **Shellina123:** Just want to say, you're like, the nicest person ever. We always love your reviews, they make us very happy. :) Don't you worry, we'll be seeing Doffy and Law...and the rest of the Zoo Crew actually...very soon! And for the sanity of all it is probably best that Ace and Sabo are kept in the dark for now ;) You're wonderful and we love you! See you next time!

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Gotta love all the fluff, Katakuri was not expecting this to happen in his life but a little fluff makes your life so much better! As always, thanks for the review! XD

 **Warnings:**

\- Angst  
\- Past dubious intentions  
\- Kitten stalking  
\- Underground/illegal fighting  
\- Mentions of prostitution  
\- Luffy is an angel

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

When Katakuri walked into his family's gym he was surprised to find he was not the only one awake at the...unfortunate hour of six a.m. There, attacking his personal punching bag, was Luffy, the last person he expected to be awake at this hour.

Katakuri found himself impressed by the boy's obvious skill and strength, expertly wrapped hands delivering precise blows that made the bag shudder. Luffy apparently didn't notice when the man entered the room, his attention focused completely on what he was doing. Katakuri watched for a moment, noting that Luffy had obviously been at this for a while if his sweaty hair and lack of shirt were anything to go by.

Deciding to get on with his original task, Katakuri adjusted his gym bag and went to begin his own morning routine, walking past the boy with a quiet,

"Good morning, Luffy."

The kid yelped in surprise and promptly face-planted as he missed the bag with his next swing. Katakuri chuckled,

"Very graceful." His eyes gleamed in amusement as Luffy picked himself up off the floor,

"Y-you, it was your fault! Kuri, you can't just interrupt a man while he's training!" the boy protested. Katakuri's eyebrows shot up,

"Man?" he asked, studying the boy's slight figure, "How old are you again?"

"I'm twenty." Luffy deadpanned. Katakuri frowned...that didn't sound quite right…

"Wait...I thought you were nineteen…" Luffy looked away, busying himself with unwrapping and then rewrapping one of his hands as he spoke,

"My birthday was a week ago." he admitted, "It's no big deal."

Katakuri immediately felt his stomach drop remembering very clearly what had happened a week ago. He felt he would likely be haunted for the rest of his life by the sound of tiny claws scratching at his door and distressed meows slowly becoming hysterical cries as a small body clutched at him desperately.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly, going through the motions to prepare for his own morning exercise as the awkward silence became more and more oppressive. Finally, he turned to face the boy again and cleared his throat. "So...I've been meaning to ask you for a while...would you mind telling me about your scars?" Luffy looked up at him,

"Only if you'll tell me about yours." he shot back. Katakuri reached up to run his hand over his scar, almost without realizing what he was doing.

"Deal." he replied, lowering himself to the floor to begin his stretches as he listened. Luffy, mirroring Katakuri's earlier motion, lifted a hand to run his fingers over the small, crescent-shaped scar under his eye.

"Well...I...stabbed myself...in the face." he began and Katakuri's head shot up,

"You _WHAT_?" he asked in disbelief. Luffy laughed,

"It's actually a funny story, I promise! I was about...five, I think…"

" _How was a five year old able to get a knife?!"_ Katakuri wondered

"My godfather was making fun of how weak I was and I wanted to prove that I was brave like him. He was so mad!"

"I'm surprised your elder brothers allowed such a thing." Katakuri commented.

"Oh, I hadn't met them yet." Luffy admitted,

"Wait...really?" Luffy just laughed again,

"We're all adopted, well, at least Ace and Sabo are. My gramps took them in against their will actually…" he trailed off muttering, "y'know I don't know if they've forgiven him for that yet…"

" _...maybe our families are more similar than I thought…"_ Katakuri mused as the boy continued, his fluffy tail swaying back and forth happily.

"I didn't meet Ace and Sabo until about two years later. Ace tried to kill me. He... _really_ hated me. He threw me off a bridge the day we met."

" _Well that's a stark difference from the two overprotective demons I met."_

"Eventually, they warmed up to me and we became sworn brothers."

"What about your other scar?" Katakuri asked, attempting to get Luffy back on their original subject. He noticed instantly that the boy's tail stilled and lowered a bit before he opened his mouth to speak,

"This one...I don't really like to talk about…" Luffy admitted, "It brings back a lot of bad memories…"

At this point, Katakuri stopped all attempts to continue with his usual routine, giving the boy his full attention and silent support as he struggled to begin telling his story.

"Not long after Gramps adopted Ace and Sabo, we all...well...Ace didn't feel very comfortable in such a big house, even if we were pretty much alone, so we moved back to one of his old hideouts. We had to make money because we weren't gonna use Gramps'...so Ace began...er..reconnecting...with some of his old contacts." Luffy paused briefly to take a drink of water before continuing, "After a while he started working for a gangster named Bluejam...I never knew exactly what he did for him, Ace always refused to tell me."

" _I remember him...he was just a petty criminal playing at organized crime, though he did do some damage in the slums. He preyed on children, using fear to control them. Any true crime boss knows how disgraceful it is to use children to do their dirty work."_

"Eventually, Ace got in too deep...they even made him take their mark. He tried to leave, began refusing jobs even...but they wouldn't allow him to get away that easily. One day, we all took off running to the other end of the city hoping to get away from Bluejam and his people...he didn't like that…"

Luffy unconsciously curled in on himself as he spoke, ears laying flat against his head, "In an attempt to make Ace come back, he had his men kidnap me and Sabo and take us to a warehouse on the outskirts of town." he paused, pulling his tail close to himself and stroking it a bit, anxiety making his fingers tremble.

"What Ace didn't know," he said finally, "was that Bluejam planned to have both of us killed as punishment for trying to get out. He set...he set the building on fire...with us trapped inside. I..er...I don't remember a lot of what happened...it..we were in a really small room...it was dark, mostly...I...I couldn't find Sabo...I was alone, yelling, trying to find a way out...some..something fell on me...that's where I got the scar...apparently whatever it was was on fire or just really hot so it nearly burned a hole in my chest...I don't remember getting out...apparently the warehouse just so happened to belong to the Whitebeards. Marco was the one who found us and dragged us from the building. He saved our lives."

"I've heard good things about the Whitebeards," Katakuri commented quietly, "They seem to be very honorable men." That earned him a soft smile from the boy, Luffy releasing his tail and looking up from the bit of floor he'd been staring at for most of his story,

"Yeah," he whispered, "they're my family."

"Family protect their own," Katakuri said knowingly. Luffy gazed at him for a moment before saying,

"I think it's your turn, Kuri, I can't do _all_ the storytelling." Katakuri huffed and nodded,

"Alright, alright. There's really not much to tell. There was this rival gang and Mama wanted me to take them out. Apparently they were...well...they were pissed when I started killing them in the street and decided to take out their anger on my sister, Brulee." Katakuri's eyes hardened and his voice briefly went cold as he growled, " _No one_ harms my sister." before continuing in the same tone as before, as though the entire event wasn't really a big deal, "To avenge what happened to Brulee, I stormed their base, killed all of them, and scattered their entrails across the ground. Their leader put up more of a fight and split my face before I gutted him as well. Unfortunately, Mama was very conscious of her funds, back in the day, so my wound was not properly stitched, resulting in most of the scarring and the unfortunate need to have the stitches replaced every six months."

Luffy gaped at him, obviously as uncertain of what to say as the man had been earlier.

"Uh...wow...that's really...you must be really... _really_ strong! How old were you?"

"I believe I was ten or so." Katakuri admitted, unsure where he was going.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed, "That's amazing, Kuri! You've gotta teach me! I wanna fight using a cool stick too!"

"A...a cool stick?" Katakuri asked, looking up at the boy in disbelief, "You mean a trident?"

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded enthusiastically, "The cool stick with three pointy bits!"

"Ah...I don't think that's the right weapon for you, Luffy…"

"Aw, but I'm pretty good with a pipe! Surely it's not _that_ much different...just a pipe with points!" Luffy argued, pouting.

" _I'm..I'm not sure whether to be insulted or...what…"_ Katakuri thought, sighing as he stood.

Five minutes later, a very reluctant Katakuri was showing Luffy the correct way to hold a trident while attempting not to get stuck himself whenever the boy forgot exactly what he was holding.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

" _I'll get him this time!"_ Luffy thought, tail twitching in excitement as he rocked back and forth, preparing to pounce the second he saw his target.

The refrigerator he was using as a perch shook as Brulee opened it to retrieve a jug of milk.

"So, Luffy…" she said, watching his ears perk up in alarm as she spoke, "What are you up to this morning? Trying to take him by surprise again?"

"Shhhhhhh!" Luffy responded, "I'm not here!"

He could hear Kuri's footsteps coming closer and he readied himself for the attack, watching the door closely. The second he glimpsed the man's magenta hair, he leapt straight for the mob boss's face...only to fly straight past him as Kuri ducked out of the way and continued into the kitchen. Luffy, having missed his target, flew through the air...and straight into the trash can, receiving a face full of last night's catfish…

"Good morning, Brulee." Katakuri said as though nothing had happened, "This coffee is wonderful, did you get a new blend?"

"Yes, actually," Brulee replied happily, "So glad you noticed!"

Meanwhile, Luffy, in his attempt to get out of the trash can, had managed to fall out of the thing and spill more trash on himself in the process, the smell of old fish beginning to permeate the air. He stood and stalked over to the two siblings, pouting the entire way.

"Kuriiiiiii!" he whined, "Why'd you do that?" The man took a sip of his coffee before reaching over and picking Luffy up by the collar, sniffing discreetly.

"You reek, Kid." he said, completely ignoring Luffy's questions, "Go take a bath before breakfast."

"Nooooooo," Luffy protested, thrashing in Katakuri's hold, "...don't like water!"

"Well, if you don't want to take a bath, there's a hose in the backyard that will work just as well." Luffy gasped and went still,

"You wouldn't!" he spluttered, "I-it'd be so cold though!" Kuri raised an eyebrow,

"You don't think I'll do it? Besides, it's warm enough outside."

"...I...can...can I take a bath in Kuri's bath instead?" Luffy asked, slumping in defeat.

"You may, only if you remember to wash your hair as well." Katakuri said sternly.

"Okay…" Luffy reluctantly agreed as the man gently lowered him to the floor.

* * *

 **BRULEE'S POV**

After watching Luffy scamper out of the kitchen, Brulee turned to her brother, a questioning look in her eyes.

"You know...he's been attacking you multiple times a day for an _entire week_." she said, "Why not just let him spar with you?" Katakuri snorted,

"Have you _seen_ him?! I could snap him like a twig!" Brulee merely smiled and took a sip of coffee,

"You may be pleasantly surprised, Brother. You know what family he comes from," she reminded him, "Maybe he's not quite as weak as you think."

"...perhaps…"

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

"Why did I agree to this?" Katakuri asked no one in particular as he faced Luffy on the sparring mat.

"Because the rest of us are tired of being used for target practice!" Cracker growled. Brulee stifled a laugh,

"Go on then," she called, "Luffy's ready."

Katakuri glanced over at the cat-boy, who looked very excited to be there. He sighed and got into a ready position, fists raised. Almost immediately, Luffy's posture and presence changed. It felt almost like he was being hunted.

In the next second, Luffy charged. If Katakuri had blinked in that second, he would have thought the boy disappeared, only to reappear within striking distance and deliver a swift punch directly to the man's gut.

Katakuri was surprised to say it hurt. _A lot._ The kid was apparently far stronger than he appeared. The man recovered quickly and lunged forward to return the blow only for Luffy to dodge and, in the split second that Katakuri was still crouched, launch himself over the man in an impressive aerial. This earned applause from Brulee and Cracker who found themselves enjoying this fight much more than they had anticipated.

The larger man growled and went in for another attack. This time, Luffy went into a handstand, locking his legs around Katakuri's neck and using his momentum to flip him over.

Katakuri landed on his back, breath whooshing out of him on impact as he found himself blinking up at the ceiling in disbelief.

" _Okay...he's a lot stronger than I thought."_

"Do you need a hand Big Brother?" Cracker called from the sidelines. Katakuri sent him a death glare before he stood and faced his opponent once again.

The small boy stood there, bouncing slightly as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Katakuri found the look on his face...disconcerting. Unlike the Luffy he'd come to know, this version of the boy lacked all emotion, sharp eyes focusing on his every move. The man decided it was time to end this fight.

The next few hours were a blur, neither of them knew how much time had passed, focusing solely on the fight at hand. That is...until Brulee interrupted them.

"Alright you two, it's a draw." she said from the doorway, "You'd better catch your breath and wash up for supper."

 _That_ got Luffy's attention and he looked up from his current goal of keeping Katakuri in a headlock,

"What? Food?" he asked, excited. The tired mob boss used this opportunity to throw the light boy over his shoulder with a very satisfying smack as his back hit the mat.

"Okay...we'll...we'll head up." Katakuri replied, panting. Brulee smiled at them and left the room.

Luffy sat up, a huge grin on his face as he exclaimed,

"Wow Kuri! That was so much fun! You're so strong!" Katakuri glanced over at the boy,

" _Thank goodness he's back to normal."_ he thought, then replied,

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Katakuri had expected Luffy to tell him about his brothers training him or something like that, so he was a bit surprised when the boy looked down instead, fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he said,

"A-around…"

"Around? Could you be more specific?" Katakuri pressed, now a bit concerned. Luffy glanced up at him uncertainly and mumbled something too quietly for the man to catch.

"What was that?"

"...underground fighting rings…." Luffy mumbled again, a bit louder. Katakuri tried (and failed) to hide his shock.

"Ah...what?!" the man exclaimed, "Which one?!"

"...um...Colosseum…" the boy admitted. Katakuri merely stared at him, unable to even begin to respond to that. The Colosseum was the biggest and best fighting ring there was in this city...illegal of course. He'd never taken part in the competition mainly because the place was owned by Doflamingo, but he knew that only the best of the best were permitted into the ring.

"Well, back in the day we needed the money," Luffy continued, "It was either fighting or...working the streets…" At _that_ Katakuri found his voice again,

"You didn't do _that,_ right?" he asked, relieved when the boy shook his head.

"No, I was good enough to make money fighting. I never told Ace and Sabo about the other option," Katakuri leaned in closer,

"Your brothers actually allowed you to take part in these fights?" he asked incredulously,

"Well...at first they weren't so happy about it. They actually tried to kill Zoro for introducing me to it in the first place. It's not like I could have gotten out of it anyway, the contract I signed was...extensive."

"You...signed a contract?"

"Um...yeah...I didn't find out 'til later that they didn't plan on letting me go after my contract was fulfilled. Apparently, I was quite the crowd pleaser. There were all sorts of underground agencies wanting to get their hands on me."

"Pretty famous huh?" Katakuri teased, "What'd they call you?"

"Lashaka. I always thought it was pretty cool 'cause it was from some myth about the wolf king. It was certainly better than some of the other names I heard."

Now _that_ name was very familiar. He'd heard of that fighter, never seen him since he only fought in the Colosseum, but everyone in the city had heard of his ferocity. He'd never imagined that Luffy would be him...though, after fighting him for so long he didn't find it as hard to believe as he would have before.

"Right before I turned eighteen, Ace and the Whitebeards got me out by force. I used some of the money to get my GED and I'm using the rest of it to pay for college."

"So...you're loaded." Katakuri commented and Luffy laughed,

"Not really. Ace and Sabo took a portion of it and I gave away most of what I didn't need to the local animal shelter."

" _What the heck...he gave his illegal money...to charity...to help the animals...I...I feel so proud…"_

Katakuri was jolted out of his thoughts by Luffy jumping to his feet and exclaiming,

"Food's waiting for us, Kuri! I call the bathroom first!" he ran out of the room leaving Katakuri to stare after him as he muttered,

"...but there's...there's more than one bathroom…"


	19. Chapter Eighteen

_**Authors' Note:**_ Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying the summer, while it lasts ;) Here's Chapter Eighteen! Enjoy!

 _ **Review Responses:**_

 _ **Jordansdevil:**_ Yes, he definitely does. No one handles Lu better (except maybe Sabo). Thanks for the review!

 ** _yukino76_ : **Yep, you always gotta watch out for the small, cute ones. They'll getcha. Hope you like the chapter! ;)

 _ **B.A Victoria:**_ Thank you so much! They are indeed adorable and we love them XD

 **WARNINGS:**

\- Blobfish

\- Onesies

\- Cuddles

\- Suspicious Persons

\- Pouting

\- Some violence

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

"HA! I KNEW IT WOULD BE ME!" Cracker exclaimed happily as he pulled the marked paper from the hat. Katakuri groaned, knowing the movie for the monthly family movie night would be something quite obscure and most likely boring.

"YOU JERKS TRIED TO HIDE IT, BUT I FOUND IT! MY BLOBFISH DOCUMENTARY!" Cracker yelled as he waved his winnings around in his siblings' faces.

" _...I thought I burned that…darn…"_ Katakuri thought, disappointed in himself for missing one of Cracker's unfortunate movies.

The next few minutes consisted of all of the family members changing into their respective sleepwear. Katakuri decided to wear a simple grey t-shirt and navy sweatpants. As they all crowded together on the couches in the media room, Katakuri looked around for the familiar raven hair and fluffy tail.

" _Where's Luffy?"_ He thought as he made himself comfortable next to a suspiciously smiley Brulee.

"KURI! I didn't know you had a cool movie room!" Katakuri's eyes widened as Luffy bounded into the room, and plopped himself down in the man's lap. Of course, Katakuri's current concern was not where the boy was sitting, it was what he was wearing. The kid was dressed in what could only be described as a cinnamon twist donut onesie. Now, Brulee's smug look made sense.

"L-luffy, what are you wearing!?" The boy tilted his head, causing the hood to flop over a bit.

"I'm wearing my jammies, Kuri. Do you not like them?" Katakuri could hear Cracker trying to stifle a laugh while the rest of his siblings suddenly found the TV very interesting.

"Yes, I do like them. Very much. Did you receive them from Brulee?" The man sneaked a glance to his sister who was discussing the impressive properties of a blobfish with Mont D'or.

"Yep! She said you would like them, and they're super comfy! Why don't you have one, Kuri? I'm sure Brulee can make you one!" Katakuri stopped glances, and turned his entire body to glare at his sister, who only smiled.

"Of course, brother. I will have a matching one made in, say, a week?" The man buried his face in his hand and grumbled,

"Just start the darn movie." As expected, Cracker's choice of films really sucked and most of the siblings fell asleep in the first thirty minutes. Katakuri fought to stay awake, and Luffy turned his shoulder into a pillow within ten minutes. Brulee stood and approached with a blanket in hand that the man took gladly.

"You know, Luffy was very excited to show you his onesie. How fortunate, for _you,_ that your reaction was so positive." Sometimes, his sister scared him. Katakuri sighed and readjusted the snoozing boy on his lap.

"Good night, Brulee." His sister held up a mug of coffee.

"I'm not going to bed just yet. Not until Cracker finally loses interest in the blobfish." Eventually, the soothing motion of Luffy's breathing, and the boring narration of the documentary, lulled Katakuri into a peaceful slumber.

When the man awoke, he was met with Luffy's drooling face, the boy's body splayed wildly in every direction. Katakuri gently removed the kid from his chest and placed him on the couch where some of his other siblings still slept. He then, stumbled into the kitchen, where Brulee had a cup of hot coffee waiting for him.

"Sleep well?" She asked lightly, before continuing, "Also, I took the liberty of having this printed for you. You're welcome." Katakuri took the picture and almost spit his coffee all over his sister. The photo was of himself and Luffy sleeping soundly together from the night before.

" _Brulee… when did she…?"_

Still, the man didn't complain and folded the picture so it would be small enough to put in his wallet. As Katakuri sat with Brulee and sipped his drink in silence, he thought about how Luffy would be leaving soon. With his transformations finally stabilizing, there was no reason for him to stay. Except that the man really wanted him to.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy was confused. He'd been wandering around Kuri's house for awhile now, and couldn't find anyone. Normally, the home was always bustling with activity, but not today. Everyone avoided him and he was pretty sure, something was going on.

"Ah, Luffy." The boy's ears perked up and he turned to face Brulee who had called him. "Katakuri needs you in the backyard. Why don't we go and see what he wants, hmmmm?" Luffy smiled brightly, nodded, and trotted off with his tail swishing behind him.

To his surprise, when he walked out the back door, there was a loud,

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUFFY!" The boy gaped as he took in the completely full backyard. He saw Kuri, along with all of his siblings, who were all smiling at him. But also, to his surprise, he saw his brothers along with Thatch and Marco, who looked a bit uncomfortable, but happy nonetheless. And, next to them, was Zoro who was holding Sanji the puppy under one arm.

"I-I… w-what?" Luffy stuttered, still in shock. Kuri walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's your birthday party, Luffy." The boy glanced up at the large man, his eyes watering.

"B-but, my birthdays not important…" Kuri pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Your birthday is always important. Look how many people came to celebrate _you_." Luffy sniffled and looked around again at his friends, new and old, and his family, along with all the decorations and presents. Tears started to fall down his face and he tried to hide it by burying himself in Kuri's massive scarf.

Never before had Luffy felt so loved and appreciated. So many people came and hugged him, even Zoro. After having cake and donuts, it was time for presents. From Brulee, Luffy received a smaller version of Kuri's scarf, which he immediately cuddled with. Ace gave him a gift card to his favorite meat shop while Sabo give him a receipt that proved this month's rent had been paid in full.

He received a lot of food from Kuri's family and Cracker gave him the strangest stuffed animal ever (a blobby, apparently), but he thought it was adorable. Amazingly enough, Kuri's neighbors, Franky and Robin, stopped by with a sausage casserole, accompanied by a very bored looking leopard that Luffy immediately latched onto and hugged, despite intense protesting from Ace and Sabo.

As the party was winding down, Kuri pulled him aside and handed him a beautifully wrapped box. Smiling widely, Luffy ripped the paper off and pulled out a familiar choker.

"I had it re-done for you as a true necklace since you loved it so much." The boy held up the choker with the straw hat charm on it and bounced on his heels.

"I love it, Kuri! You're the best!" Luffy exclaimed as he hugged the man around his neck, making sure to pull his scarf down enough to see his scar so that he could nuzzle his face against the rough stitches. When he pulled back, the boy thrust the choker in Kuri's face.

"Will you help me put it on?" The man smiled and nodded before assisting Luffy in securing the necklace. Raising a hand to gently touch the charm, the boy leaned close to Kuri and purred, happy when his friend pulled him close.

What a great day.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Finally, the time came for Luffy to return to his normal life with his brothers. Helping the boy pack had been more difficult than he thought.

"Kuri, can you hold Sunny for me while I bring this bag to the car?" The man nodded numbly and clutched the stuffed lion to his chest, somewhat depressed. It was sinking in that his cat… er… Luffy… was going home, and that home was not here.

A few minutes later, he closed the trunk on Fire Fist's car and turned to Luffy.

"Um…. do well in school…. And… uh…" The boy didn't let him finish his pathetic excuse for a goodbye as he leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Kuri, for everything! I'll come and visit all the time!" Katakuri smiled and hugged the boy back tightly, not wanting to let go.

"You ready, Lu?" Blondie asked, "We need to check into the hotel before noon." The boy nodded, but didn't let go of Katakuri. To the man's surprise, Luffy pecked him lightly on the cheek. The mob boss felt a blush spread across his face and he tightened his arms even more, ignoring the shocked glares he was receiving from Luffy's brothers.

"See you later, Kuri." The cat-boy said softly, "Make sure you don't forget me!" Katakuri chuckled at that.

"Who could forget you?" The kid smiled widely before leaping down and scrambling around his fuming brothers to slide into the back seat.

Twenty minutes later, Katakuri still stood on the sidewalk, gazing down the street.

"Uh, Brother? Please come inside." Brulee said somewhat confused, "The neighbors are starting to call." Without responding, the large man returned inside and proceeded to sulk.

" _...I miss him…"_

* * *

 **UNKNOWN POV**

The suspicious figure watched the red car pull away from Dogtooth's base and immediately dialed the boss.

"Sir, they've left. Is the plan a go?"

"Do what you must. Remember, this is your last chance to redeem yourselves. Bring back the boy, or forfeit your lives." The man gulped nervously as he glanced around to the "backup".

"W-we won't fail again, sir."

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy carefully opened the door to the hotel room, trying not to wake any of the occupants. As soon as they had arrived, his brothers, Marco, Thatch, Zoro, and puppy Sanji, had insisted on having a celebration of his return. Now, hours later, he was the only one still awake, the others having drunk a little too much.

Closing the door softly, and chuckling a little at how loud Thatch was snoring, Luffy went in search of a vending machine. As he walked down the hallway, the boy couldn't help but think about when he would see Kuri next. First, he would need to get his life back together, but then, he would head straight back and hug him.

His thoughts were interrupted as he found his target and began to fish coins out of his pocket. Suddenly, Luffy's ears perked up and his senses alerted him that something was… wrong. Spinning around, he smashed his attacker's face into the wall, inadvertently creating a massive crater in the nice wallpaper. Jumping backwards, Luffy's eyes darted around as he marked five suspicious individuals rushing at him with various weapons.

Of course, they were much too slow.

It was a simple thing, to dodge their pathetic attacks and knock them unconscious with a few well placed kicks and punches. Panting slightly, Luffy turned to return to the room, but was thrown backwards when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt. Slightly dazed, the boy looked up at the newcomer, amazed at how large his neck was.

His new assailants, numbering about eight, proved to be more troublesome than the previous wave. They were much larger and could take more hits than their predecessors. After knocking out five of them, and growing tired, Luffy rushed for the nearest enemy, only to be surprised when the man sidestepped and caught him in a headlock.

Before he could react, one of his comrades thrust a black object into his side, and then all Luffy knew was pain. Screaming, the boy convulsed as electricity surged through his body.

"Shut him up!" Someone ordered, and the last thing the boy saw was an elbow coming towards his face.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! It's just Foo writing the note today, Lu has an early class tomorrow so she needed to get to bed. On that topic, those of you who have been reading this for a while might have noticed that our updates have become more sporadic than they used to be, this is due to a few different reasons but I want to reassure you that we will still be updating as often as we possibly can. I know I speak for both of us when I say we love you all very much and are so grateful for your feedback and support! Hope you have a great week!

 **Review Responses:**

 **Yukino76:**...yeaaah, there's definitely going to be blood...likely a lot of it too...as we write, we've found ourselves saying "oh, that's so mean..." more and more often...thanks for the review! :)

 **Shellina123:** Thank you so much for your continued support and your lovely reviews! (really, you are far too kind and we love you very much!) :) We always look forward to learning what you have to say about our newest chapter and hope you enjoy this one as well. The surprise birthday party actually came out of a need to add some sort of cute family moment before well...the kidnapping...yeah, it's about to become quite chaotic haha. XD

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Glad you're back! Haha, well, we've made sure the kidnappers are characters that definitely deserve everything that's coming their way so the pain they'll be in might actually be a bit satisfying when all is said and done (not gonna lie, I kinda enjoy writing such things) Thanks for the review! XD

 **Guest:** We are a bit mean to him in that way, aren't we? Him and Ace...and all the others. Thank you so much for the review!

 **akdjhs:** Aww, thank you so much! That part always gets me too, lol. Smoker's really going to need Jimbe's chill personality in the coming chapters so it's a really good thing that we put him in! Australia, that's so awesome! (Neither of us can believe how many people read this from all over the world, I often find it both amazing and a bit overwhelming when I look at the stats!) It's really not going to be pretty for anyone that dares lay a hand on Luffy...especially with all those sadistic friends and relatives ;) Hope you continue enjoying the story as it progresses! We're pretty much onto phase two of this so, hopefully, we do the story justice with what we have planned. You're absolutely right about how Katakuri is going to take this lol. Thanks so much for the review!

 **Mangamolly1991:** We were really excited when we managed to fit Brook in there since we wanted to include as much of the crew as made sense! Thanks so much for the review!

 **Warnings:**

\- Angst  
\- Mentions of nudity  
\- Mentions of excessive drinking  
\- Much anger  
\- Brief violence  
\- All of the stress  
\- Angry Kuri is angry  
\- Smoker needs a vacation. badly.  
\- Angry pupper

* * *

 **SMOKER'S POV**

Smoker had a bad feeling about this. He was currently speeding down the highway trying to get to the scene of the suspected assault and kidnapping of a minor that had been called in only moments before. He'd thought it would be calming to go out on a normal patrol for once, give out a few tickets and the like, get his mind off of the epidemic. Of course, when he'd been given the rough description of the victim he may have...freaked out...a bit...not that he would ever admit that.

" _Where the heck are his brothers?!"_ Smoker thought furiously, " _you'd think they'd take better care of him having just gotten him back! ...Might need to put a tracker on that kid…"_

He pulled up to the hotel, ready to jump out of his car and attempt to rescue the boy, only to watch in horror as a familiar figure was thrown into the back of a waiting van. Based on his limp body, Luffy was definitely unconscious.

Before he could even stop his car, the van was pulling away from the hotel, leaving a trail of exhaust in its wake. Smoker cursed and floored it, reaching for his radio to inform dispatch that he was in pursuit. As he pursued the kidnappers, he stayed on the line with dispatch, describing the assailants he had seen, since some of the idiots had decided to leave their faces bare.

An hour later, a fuming Smoker trudged up the steps to the floor where Mihawk was waiting.

"Alright, what happened here?" he asked tiredly, eyeing the large crater in one of the walls.

"Well, it would appear that Monkey D. Luffy has been successfully kidnapped by a group of currently unknown individuals. We are working on identifying the group based on the armband worn by the suspects left behind."

Smoker buried his face in his hands and sighed before straightening,

"Where are the idiots who were responsible for looking after him?"

"...we're currently trying to wake them from their drunken stupor," Mihawk informed him. Smoker groaned and headed for the only open door on the floor.

Inside the hotel room, he was greeted by the angry growls and barks of Sanji the puppy who was apparently chewing out four obviously drunk men and Zoro, who was sporting a large bump on his head.

"As you can see, I have already disciplined my student," Mihawk commented dryly. Smoker's attention was drawn away from the green-haired man to a certain freckled individual as he burst into tears after a particularly vicious growl from the small puppy on the floor.

"Smokyyyyy…" Ace whined, "I don't know whyyy...but...but this puppy hates me! What...what did I d-do?"

Smoker ignored him and studied the others. He couldn't believe that even the ever calm and collected phoenix had drunk himself under the table...literally. He turned to Mihawk, exasperated, and growled,

"Get these idiots sober. Time is of the essence."

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Ace was a failure as a big brother. After about four cups of strong coffee, he was finally able to begin to understand why his precious baby bro wasn't there.

"Marcooooo we just got him back! We just got him back and I let him get taken from right under my nose!" he cried, gripping the other man's arm tightly. Marco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose,

"Ace...not so loud, please. It is not solely your fault that Luffy is gone," he said calmly, "the blame lies with all of us...yoi." Mihawk cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention instantly as he began speaking,

"Based on the suspects and the evidence left behind, the boy was taken by a group working under the mark on this band. Do any of you recognize it?" In the next second, it was quite obvious that they did indeed recognize that mark as the three Whitebeards paled and Thatch spun on his heels, cursing as he searched for his phone,

"I've gotta call Pops," he said over his shoulder and Mihawk's questioning eyes turned to Marco expectantly,

"That mark belongs to Marshall D. Teach, who's taken to calling himself, _Blackbeard_." Marco said seriously, "There's a strong possibility that Luffy's kidnapping has to do with his brother's position as a commander."

Hearing this, Ace immediately curled in on himself and started sobbing.

"S-so it _is_ my fault!" he cried, hardly able to breathe, not wanting to believe that he'd put his baby brother in so much danger but unable to escape the facts. In an instant, Sabo was there, putting a comforting arm around his brother's shoulders.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," he said soothingly, "We overreacted to a similar situation only a few weeks ago, I'm sure he'll be okay this time too."

"Speaking of similar situations," Marco said, "we need to contact Dogtooth…"

"Oh no!" Smoker protested, "We don't need to get gangs involved in this! We will handle this legally and-"

"Alright guys," Thatch interrupted, reentering the room, "Pops is sending backup, all of the other commanders should be here in the morning."

"Good." Marco replied, "We need to go tell Dogtooth what happened...this is his city after all and...well...he's kind of attached to the kid."

"NONE OF YOU WILL BE GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL!" Smoker bit out, glaring at the group...only to be surprised when Marco threw him a set of keys.

"Then you're driving," he informed him.

Unfortunately, Smoker did _not_ end up driving them to Dogtooth's place and Ace was sure Mihawk was driving slowly on purpose. After what felt like an eternity (but was actually only twenty minutes), they finally pulled up in front of the Charlottes' base.

They all exited the car and nervously approached the large house. Wasting no time Ace banged on the door repeatedly, not stopping until it swung open to reveal a very annoyed looking Cracker in a sleeping cap.

"Y'know, when my brother told you you could come back, he meant _with_ Luffy and definitely not at _three in the morning."_ the man growled. Ace took a stabilizing breath before saying,

"We need to talk to Dogtooth _immediately."_

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri was woken by incessant banging on his bedroom door before it was flung open by a disheveled Brulee.

"Brother you need to come to the parlor right now," she said quickly, though her voice remained deceptively calm. Katakuri frowned,

"Brulee, it's three in the morning…" he protested.

"It's...it has to do with Luffy." Brulee informed him and Katakuri felt his stomach drop.

"I'll be there in a moment," he replied, throwing off his blankets. She nodded and left, closing the door behind her. He quickly found a shirt and pulled it on, followed closely by his scarf, before he was out of his room, stalking down the hall to the parlor where he found a familiar group of people...minus the only one of them he would have been glad to see.

Fire Fist stopped his pacing when he saw Katakuri enter the room but didn't seem to be able to meet his gaze.

"To what-"

"Luffy's gone." Fire Fist interrupted before Katakuri could get his question out, "He's been kidnapped and we need your help."

Katakuri leaned back against the closest wall,

"Who took him?" he asked, deceptively calm.

"His name's Marshall D. Teach...Blackbeard…" Fire Fist replied, spitting the words out as anger flashed across his face.

"How did they manage to even get close to Luffy?" Katakuri asked, "I thought you said you were going to protect him." He watched as the group flinched and then physically deflated at that,

"...w-well...you see…" Fire Fist began before Katakuri cut him off,

"Does it have anything to do with all of you reeking of alcohol?" None of them were able to meet his gaze, their eyes staring down at the floor in shame. Even the puppy looked a bit distraught. Katakuri felt his anger rising but felt no need to reign in his temper in the face of such blatant stupidity.

"HOW COULD YOU ALL BE SO STUPID?!" he shouted, "I ALLOWED LUFFY TO RETURN HOME WITH YOU BECAUSE I TRUSTED THAT YOU, AS HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS, WOULD BE ABLE TO PROTECT HIM! I TRUSTED YOU TO KEEP HIM SAFE AND YOU COULDN'T DO THAT FOR EVEN A FULL DAY! IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN TWELVE HOURS SINCE HE LEFT!" he took a breath, glaring angrily at all of them before continuing, "I expected something like this from the younger ones but from you, Phoenix? I thought you were more responsible than that! You've known...we've _all_ known since the beginning that he was targeted specifically! That you would forget that or even assume that the danger had passed...I cannot even begin to comprehend such, such idiocy!" Katakuri took a few moments to breathe and calm himself, moving to his chair before speaking again, "I'm assuming you have at least thought to contact Whitebeard?"

"Yes, as soon as we knew who'd taken Luffy." the Phoenix confirmed quietly, "Backup is due to arrive in a few hours." Katakuri nodded pushed himself up out of his chair, looking down at his...guests...as he said,

"Make sure Whitebeard knows that I'm taking command of this operation. There will be no negotiating." dismissing them, he turned to Cracker and Brulee, "Get everyone up, inform them of what's happened and have them prepare their squads. We move out as soon as reinforcements arrive."

"...but...wait…" Blondie spoke up from the couch, "we don't know where to even begin looking!" Katakuri glanced back at him,

"Oh, I do."

* * *

 **CROCODILE'S POV**

Crocodile had been dozing in the exhibit with the rest of his now subordinates when he was awoken rather abruptly by intense pain shooting through his body. Being the man that he was, he just sat still and let it pass. It wouldn't do to show pain or any sign of weakness to the underlings.

When he opened his eyes the world was dimmer than before and he certainly couldn't see very far in the darkness. He could see well enough to notice that he had finally returned to his old self..though it was a little unfortunate to see his arm without a hook attached.

Standing up and stretching his stiff back, Crocodile completely ignored the animals in the enclosure with him as he took stock of his well sculpted and completely naked body. He made his way over to the fence and agilely lept over it, somewhat surprised by his newfound strength. Following the signs, he headed for what he hoped was the entrance of the zoo thinking,

" _I really need a cigar."_

* * *

 **KIDD'S POV**

Kidd woke to the strange and unfortunate feeling of being cold, something he hadn't felt in a few weeks due to all of the fur. He groaned and opened his eyes, sitting up before noticing that enclosure felt...larger than usual. Glancing down, he realized _he was back!_ And he looked great!

Leaping to his feet, Kidd waved goodbye to his fellow bears who were looking at him in confusion.

"Don't forget everything I taught you guys." he said, "I'll come visit sometime."

With that, he was off, headed for the entrance of the zoo.

* * *

 **DOFLAMINGO'S POV**

Finally, after weeks of torture, Doflamingo found himself in his own body once again. His first order of business was to completely shatter the mirror he'd been forced to look at for so long. Once that was taken care of, he turned and somewhat surprised himself when he found he was able to rip the door to his prison completely off its hinges...not that he stayed to think about this. He stalked out of the building feeling both rejuvenated and homicidal.

* * *

 **LAW'S POV**

"For the last time, Alexa!" Law roared, "I am _not_ interested!" he glared down at the female snow leopard that had been put in his enclosure with him. He wasn't so ignorant as to _not_ know why they had put a female snow leopard in with him but he was most certainly not interested in even entertaining the thought of such activities!

"But, but darling!" Alexa protested, "we're perfect for each other! Please, just give it a chance!"

Law growled and, just as he was about to reply with a scathing retort, his body was wracked with pain, keeping him from speaking for a few moments. He could guess what was happening and he found himself relieved. Standing up for the first time in many weeks, he shot a glare down at Alexa,

"Well now you've got no choice!" he said triumphantly, "Find yourself someone else!" Law ignored her near frantic protests as he assessed his situation. He wasn't stupid enough to even consider getting off of the tall rock formation he had claimed while Alexa was pacing around below him. He thought there was a possibility that he _might_ be able to reach the fence if he ran and jumped in an attempt to bypass the mote but he certainly didn't expect to be able to leap over both the mote _and_ the fence, which made it even more shocking when he found himself staring back at the leopard enclosure in disbelief.

Law shrugged and carefully made his way to the zoo's entrance, where he encountered a strangely dressed Kidd outside the gift shop.

"Eustass-ya?" he asked, "What's with the outfit?"

"Well, it's better than running around naked, Trafalgar." Kidd pointed out, "So you might as well go and get your own while you can."

Nodding in understanding, Law entered the gift shop...and subsequently screamed in horror. He did _not_ need to see Doffy naked... _ever._ He was quite certain he'd just been scarred for life.

After a few minutes of shopping, all four of them were able to find something that would at least cover their private parts. Most of the pants and shirts they'd managed to find were much too small but at least they got the job done for the moment.

As they were walking out of the zoo, Law examined his companions' somewhat different physiques. Kidd had extremely large muscles that he hadn't had before and just seemed...larger overall. Crocodile's skin looked a bit...strange...both in color and texture and Doffy...Doffy was _definitely_ taller and more muscular. Of course, all of these changes were just exacerbated by the odd and ill-fitting clothes and Law couldn't help but tease his uncle concerning his panda shirt and colorfully striped sunglasses.

"The style suits you, Doffy." he chuckled and instead of the annoyed but still joking reply he expected was met with open hostility as his uncle shot back a murderous glare.

" _...something's definitely wrong with him…"_

* * *

 **UNKNOWN POV**

He didn't know how long he'd been trapped in the cold, dark cell, only that he would be taken from there every day and he wished they'd let him be. The things that happened when he left his cold, dark cell left him shaking and sick.

He wasn't sure where he was exactly, only that he longed to leave and search for his family. He wondered sometimes if they thought he was dead.

He glared hatefully at the figure that approached his cell as he always did no matter who came to fetch him. His glare was ignored, as it always was.

"Hello Subject-53," the man said, "time for testing."

He knew right away that this man was new and incompetent. He'd closed the door to his cell behind him and was moving to pull him up from the floor with shaky, unprotected hands.

It was little effort on his part to seize the man's hand and wrist and _pull._ It was satisfying to see the man's lower arm separate from the rest of his body as he pulled back in shock and pain and even more satisfying to watch him trip over himself as he flung himself out of _Subject-53's_ cell.

He knew the testing, when they finally got him out of his cell, would be more painful that day in retaliation for the injury but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Flinging the bloody forearm away from him, he settled down to dream of open spaces and the stars twinkling far above.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Authors' Note:** Hey guys, it's been a while! We've got both Foo and Lu here today/tonight...depending...hope you enjoy the chapter!

 **Review Responses**

 **Shellina123:** Once again, thank you so much for your kind words! Lu's got a lot of school work but still finds time for the fun things (like writing haha) Don't worry, we will definitely finish this story regardless of how long it takes! Yes, writing the four animal-now-human parts was hilarious and extremely enjoyable for both of us. You'll get to know the new character in this chapter. He's a wonderful creation...As always, thanks for the review! XD

 **Mangamolly1991:** Hello again, yep, poor Law...he suffered much. No one wants to see Doffy naked _ever._

 **myzmsandraa99:** Lu (aka rikuai12) says hello and welcome...this is basically a KataxLu story. They are very cute and I think you will like this chapter especially. (Foo says hello too)

 **yukino76:** Yep, Katakuri was quite angry, and for good reason! Most everyone is back as humans now and the rescue mission begins!

 **Final Syai Lunar Generation:** Always happy to see your reviews! Yeah, Kuri really gave them a piece of his mind and he intends to protect Luffy forever...which also means much more cuddles. (We're not complaining lol) See ya next time!

 **Warnings:**

\- All of the misunderstandings...again  
\- Human/Animal Experimentation  
\- Original Character  
\- Violence  
\- ...Doffy has lost it...  
\- HOA's

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy groaned, slowly coming to his senses as pain shot up his spine. He attempted to open his eyes only to be met with unnecessarily bright light that had him regretting that action. After a few seconds, Luffy tried again. This time he was successful, blinking as an unfamiliar ceiling came into focus.

" _What happened?"_ Luffy thought, " _...it smells weird in here…"_

He turned his head to look at the room itself but found his vision blurred again as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

" _Woah...is this...is this what being drunk feels like?"_ he wondered, trying to lift a hand to his head, only to realize that he couldn't move. Luffy lifted his head to look down at himself, eyes widening as he took in the restraints pinning him to a metal table.

" _Wow, this is just like those movies Ace likes!"_ Luffy thought, mildly amused, " _Kinda lame though...thought the straps would be...thicker and not made of rope…"_

Luffy shifted experimentally, ignoring the stiffness in his muscles in favor of seeing how far each of his limbs could move.

" _I wonder if I could break these…"_ he mused, tugging on the rope restraining his right wrist since it seemed to be a bit looser than the rest.

"ZEHAHAHAHA!" The loud noise interrupted Luffy's thoughts before he could attempt to escape,

" _What kinda laugh is that?"_ he wondered, just before the door flew open to admit a large man who must be the inept kidnapper.

"Ah! Monkey D. Luffy, I see you've finally woken up!" the man exclaimed, "We have so much to discuss!"

Luffy merely stared at the man, unimpressed, and went back to tugging on his restraints as the man continued talking.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to meet you, ever since I learned of your existence from Ace. And now here you are! Trapped like a rat or, in your case, a cat!"

"You're not very good at this, are you?" Luffy put in, squirming on the table, "Look how much I can move around in your cheap restraints!"

It was the man's turn to stare, confused by the complete lack of any of the reactions he'd expected.

Luffy thought back to the last time he'd been kidnapped, by the Bird guy. He'd tried to leave the Colosseum before his contract was up, tired of fighting in the ring and wanting to spend time with Sabo while he was in town. The very tall mob boss had predicted his escape attempt and cut him off at the train station. He'd been cut off and surrounded by several of the Bird Guy's personal guard while multiple snipers took aim from various really didn't have much of a choice but to stop fighting and allow the mob boss to drag him back to the Donquixote mansion so that they could keep a closer eye on him. He spent part of his time there strapped to a bed, unable to move an inch thanks to sturdy leather restraints. Law had not been happy with him. But still, he'd come to judge a kidnapper's worth by the quality of their equipment.

"Zehahaha! You're one weird brat aren't ya?" the man said before turning back to the door to yell, "Caesar, get in here!" Luffy's ears perked up at the familiar name.

"Don't order me around!" Caesar protested as he entered the room, "I am the greatest scientist who ever lived!"

"Oh, it's you," Luffy said dryly.

"Brat." Caesar replied, "Nice ears."

"Thanks!" Luffy exclaimed with a smile, "Kuri thinks so too!"

The two men standing next to him exchanged confused glances before the big man shrugged and ordered Caesar to start running his tests.

After Caesar stuck Luffy with the first needle, everything became a blur. He could have been lying there for minutes or days as the scientist poked and prodded. Luffy only knew that he felt so tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Eventually, his wish was granted as he fell unconscious once again.

* * *

 **UNKNOWN POV**

He looked up and growled as the guards approached his cell once more, standing as he prepared to attack any who would enter. This time, however, the guards were carrying what looked to be a human pup between them. One of the guards opened the cell to allow the others to toss the pup inside before slamming the door shut once again.

He looked at the guards with even more disgust than usual. Did they think to feed him one of their young? Despicable creatures, humans.

Somewhat concerned, he inched forward, sniffing at the limp body. He found himself confused at the pup's mix of human and non-human scent, moving forward a bit more to stand over the smaller creature.

He lowered his head and nosed the human pup, hoping to gain some sort of reaction from it. He didn't like the weird unnatural smells threatening to overwhelm the pup's natural scent. Perhaps he could wash it off?

He studied the small _thing_ for a moment before laying down and proceeding to lick over the soft, fluffy ears. Using one large paw, he drew the pup closer so that he could properly clean its ears and head fur.

Once he was satisfied with how it now smelled, he curled around the pup so that it could rest in his fur and be warm. Surprisingly, the little one stirred and blinked up at him blearily.

"...you're warm, Kuri…" the pup murmured, nuzzling its face further into his fur. He lowered his head and gently licked the pup's face before quietly saying,

"Sleep, Little One, you're safe with me."

As the pup's breathing evened out, he couldn't help but feel protective over it obviously having been separated from its pack just like him.

" _And apparently separated from its mate as well."_ he thought, knowing how horrible it was to be away from the one you truly cared for.

"Don't worry, I'll get you back to your mate, this...Kuri."

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Removing his glasses, Katakuri placed his head on his desk, feeling drained in every way. It was only eight in the morning and he really _really_ needed to kill someone, specifically one of the Whitebeards. Not only had they trampled his birds of paradise, their damage had extended into one of the neighboring yards causing him to be fined $100 by the HOA.

" _They had better be helpful...or else."_

Katakuri shifted his head a bit to stare at the framed picture of himself and Luffy sleeping on the couch the night they had suffered through Cracker's blobfish documentary. He missed Luffy...a lot.

" _If only he'd stayed with me, none of this would have happened."_

His thoughts were interrupted by the door to his office opening a bit to allow Brulee to peek in.

"Brother?" she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Brulee I'm depressed and I need to impale someone on my trident," Katakuri answered honestly, not moving from his position on the desk. Brulee fully entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I just need this mission to start so that I can get Luffy back here where I know he's safe...and also to get rid of the Whitebeards. I'm not sure that the family reunion story that I gave to the HOA is going to cut it. The longer they stay here, the lower my reputation gets." he lifted his head to look Brulee in the eye as he continued, "They have eyes everywhere, Brulee! The HOA always knows…"

His sister approached him as he continued to mumble and suddenly whacked him with the rolled-up newspaper that had become her weapon of choice against the rowdy Whitebeards in the past six hours.

"Stop your moping, Brother!" she scolded, "Just think, with the forces we've gathered, there's no way we'll fail to rescue Luffy!"

Katakuri nodded and sat up, feeling a tiny bit better. That good feeling vanished thirty minutes later when he stood before the Whitebeard forces eyeing the muddy footprints they'd left all over his white rug.

" _Bunch of hooligans…"_

"When are we leaving?" Fire Fist shouted above the rest of the noise, "We need to leave soon, who knows what they're doing to Lu!"

"Silence!" Katakuri snapped, "All of you, SHUT UP!"

The room immediately became almost unnaturally quiet, all of the assembled commanders ceasing any idle chatter and turning their attention to him.

"Prepare to leave. We head out in ten minutes."

"Um...how is it that you know where he is again?" Katakuri couldn't see who asked that but he answered anyway,

"I had him chipped," he said shortly, "There is some interference with the signal preventing us from pinpointing his exact location, but we do have a general area to search. Any more stupid questions?"

The room remained silent as he fixed them all with a glare.

"Well? What are you waiting for?! Get moving," he ordered before turning on his heel and stalking back to his room to collect his weapons.

* * *

 **DOFLAMINGO'S POV**

Now that he was finally back, it was time to hunt down the man responsible for putting him through such horrors.

Thankfully, Vergo was a very competent subordinate and had taken the liberty of discovering both the identity and the location of the perpetrator. So, without telling Law or Corazon, Doflamingo had decided to take matters into his own hands.

He was going to murder Marshall D. Teach.

Unfortunately, he didn't fit in the front seat so he had to recline in the backseat but that was okay. It gave him plenty of time to contemplate the many ways to kill a man.

" _I suppose I should rescue Caesar while I'm there...maybe take a look at the rest of the experiments…after killing Teach of course."_

"We're a few blocks away." Doflamingo heard Vergo inform the drivers of the two following vehicles, "Prepare yourselves."

From his place in the backseat, Doflamingo stared ahead and cackled madly.

" _This is going to be so much fun."_

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy was startled awake by the distant sound of gunshots. He opened his eyes, only to be met by a face full of fur.

"Wha-"

"Hush, Pup, bad humans are coming." an unfamiliar voice said. Luffy shifted to get a look at the face of whoever it was that had spoken only to find himself staring up at a massive black wolf with silver eyes, the color so pale that they almost appeared to be white.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked, trying to sit up...and failing spectacularly.

"No, Pup, stay down." the wolf said, pressing him down with a paw to make sure he obeyed before continuing, "I am Torkai, Alpha of the New Moon Pack, Slayer of Titan the Terrible, Mate of Shakiba. And what are you called, Young One?"

"I'm Luffy!" he replied, "How can you talk? You...you're a wolf!"

"Yes, the bad humans have...altered me so that I may speak human-speech using this collar." Torkai growled, "Why do you not identify your pack or your mate? Are you an orphan? A lone wolf perhaps? One so young should not be alone."

"Uh...I have brothers?" Luffy said, "And as for a mate-"

Before Luffy could finish his sentence, the gunshots and screams outside grew louder before suddenly cutting off completely. He was pushed behind a snarling Torkai just before the door flew across the room and slammed into the opposite wall.

A tall figure appeared in the doorway, his shadow falling over the two in the cell.

"Well, what have we here?"

* * *

 **TORKAI'S POV**

Sensing impending intrusion, Torkai shoved the pup, Luffy, behind him...though he wasn't quite sure what kind of name that was...he would ask him later.

The tall human who entered smelled... _off_...and Torkai did not like the way he was looking at the small pup.

"Well, what have we here?" the man sneered, tightening his grip on the head fur of the leader of the bad humans, "What a surprise to see the mighty Lashaka caught in a cage. How delightful!"

Torkai continued to growl at the human but glanced back at the pup thinking that that must be his true warrior name. Much more fitting than _Luffy._

"Mingo...why are you here?" the pup asked, peering at the defeated fat-human and his captor.

"Just taking out the trash. You should be thanking me since I believe he wronged you as well."

The tall man, Mingo as the pup had called him, kicked the fat-human in the gut and threw him to the ground.

While Torkai didn't mind watching the defeat of the leader of the bad humans and might have otherwise enjoyed it himself, he did not like this new, wrong-smelling human. His instincts told him that this tall human was dangerous, much more so than the fat one.

"We did not part ways on good terms, Boy, why don't we take some time to reconnect."

"My contract is over! I'm not going back!" the pup protested angrily.

Torkai now understood what was going on. This alpha intended for the pup to be part of his pack but he already has a pack, therefore this bad human must be trying to _steal_ the pup.

"Unacceptable! Such disregard for honor!" Torkai growled, "If you want the pup then you need to challenge his mate properly!"

He received a questioning look from the tall human after that, before he asked,

"Mate? What mate?"

"The alpha called Kuri." Torkai responded, "It is to him you must address your challenge, it is not right to simply take an omega!"

The pup looked confused and flustered, seemingly at a loss for words as he stuttered,

"Wh..what?!" The tall human laughed,

"You are somewhat entertaining, dog! Don't you worry, I'm sure the great Charlotte Katakuri will come for me soon enough," he assured them, "especially once he finds out I've taken his little... _mate."_


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**Authors' Note:** Hello again, it's been a while! Sorry about the wait, life happens. Hope everyone enjoys the update!

 **Review Responses:**

 **myzmsandraa99:** Thanks for the review! Doffy wasn't quite as good as you thought...mostly because his time as a flamingo made him go insane...Katakuri is working on it. Torkai is an original character that we decided to put into the story, he's pretty awesome and really fun to write. Glad you're enjoying our story!

 **yukino76:** He does indeed want problems...he's insane. See you next time!

 **Shellina123:** Hello again! As always, thank you for the amazing review, we really appreciate it! We've decided that this story is officially in the genre of _dark fluff_ ;) Glad you like Torkai, he's a character we came up with during a long car ride and we love him. And yes, no one can withstand Luffy's innocent charms. Hope you enjoy the new chapter and we look forward to your next review :)

 **hina:** Thanks for the review! KataLu is indeed adorable. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

 **WARNINGS:**

 **\- Doffy's crazy  
\- Doffy's literally insane...  
\- Violence  
\- Blood  
\- Death  
\- Mentions of drugs  
\- Angst  
\- Kuri is v angry  
**

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

When they pulled up to their destination, Ace was horrified to see bodies strewn everywhere and smoke billowing out of the building.

" _What happened?"_ Ace wondered, " _Please be Luffy...please…"_

He knew that his little brother could handle himself and he'd destroyed buildings in the past...maybe this was just another one of his _moments._

Another car pulled up and Dogtooth jumped out looking even angrier than he had that morning.

"Spread out and search the premises." the man ordered, "You two are with me." he added, nodding to both Ace and Sabo.

Ace would have protested being ordered around like he was one of Dogtooth's subordinates if he wasn't so terrified of the man...not that he would admit that.

Grabbing their weapons, they entered the disturbingly quiet building, Ace and Sabo flanking Dogtooth as he followed the signal from Lu's tracker. As they went further into the warehouse, they became more and more concerned at the strange slash marks on the wall and on the bodies.

Ace stopped suddenly as they passed a door that was cracked open, light from inside spilling out into the smoky air. Calling to the other two, he pushed against the heavy door only to trip and almost faceplant as the thing swung open much easier than expected. He stumbled into the room, just barely staying upright, and froze as he caught sight of a metal table, the surface slick with blood.

At that moment, he was fairly certain his heart stopped. Ace knew whose blood that was, he didn't have an explanation for it but he just knew.

Ace hardly noticed that Sabo and Dogtooth had followed him into the room until a strong hand landed on his shoulder. He tore his gaze away from the table and found a concern similar to his own painted plainly on his brother's face.

"He's this way," Dogtooth growled, leading them through a door on the other side of the room and down multiple flights of stairs until they came to a new room full of cells and cages.

"So...where is he?" Ace asked, peering into the shadowed room,

"We're too far underground to get an exact location," Dogtooth replied grimly, "spread out and search."

Ace didn't even attempt to argue, merely turned and walked into the rows of cells on his right, scanning the shadows for any signs of life.

After a while, the sound of rapid footsteps drew everyone's attention to the entrance where Marco appeared.

"We have a problem-yoi!" Marco exclaimed, gasping for breath, "Kaido's on his way to the city!"

Before Ace and Dogtooth could even process what they were hearing, a yell from the back of the room diverted their focus.

"Guys, get over here! Now!"

"We'll get back to this," Dogtooth said to Marco before turning and heading towards where Sabo's voice had sounded, Ace and Marco on his heels.

When they reached Sabo, they found him crouched over a large body.

"Who..who is that?" Ace asked, "That's way too big to be Luffy."

Sabo said nothing, merely stood and moved so that they could see who it was that lay gasping for breath on the floor.

"Teach!" Ace snarled and immediately lept for the man, only to be held back by Marco.

"Oh, Commander!" Teach wheezed, "How nice to see you again! Lost your little brother again, I take it?"

"Where is he, you fat creep?!"

"Zehahaha…" Teach tried to laugh but it dissolved into a hacking cough that ended with him spitting blood onto the floor, "You're too late, he's long gone,"

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri had been having a tough time reigning in his fury and keeping himself from lashing out at those who did not deserve it. So, faced with Luffy's kidnapper dying on the floor with valuable information he decided it was an appropriate time to unleash his pent up rage.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Katakuri had stalked over to Teach's prone form, lifted him by the front of his grimy shirt, and slammed him into the wall.

"I suggest you start talking before I prolong your pathetic life for as long as humanly possible until you're begging for death," he growled.

"I-it,it wasn't planned!" Teach stammered, "The kid was here only a few hours ago, I swear!"

Katakuri pulled the man forward and slammed him into the wall again, even harder than the first time.

"And where is he now?"

"He...he's with-with Doflamingo!" Teach answered quickly, "the maniac attacked out of nowhere, slaughtered everyone...he seemed to know the kid, so he took him with him. That's all I know, I swear!"

"Was he okay when you last saw him?" Fire Fist asked,

"Well…" Teach replied, an odd, almost smug smirk flitting across his face, "I wouldn't say _okay_ exactly...he spent quite a lot of time on Caesar's table. Surely you saw it on your way in?"

At that, Phoenix had to grab the arm of both Fire Fist and Blondie to keep them from killing their most important captive. Katakuri also found the man to be infuriating but he prided himself on his self control and refused to let it slip in this pivotal moment.

"Why did you target Luffy in the first place?" he asked, "What is he to you?"

"I personally find the kid to be infuriatingly...chipper, and somewhat stupid," Teach replied, "but he became a primary target due to his _familial_ relationships," he turned his gaze to Fire Fist as he asked, "How does it feel, _Commander,_ knowing that you are the reason little Luffy is in this position?"

Fire Fist did not respond, seemingly at a loss for words, so Teach continued,

"We would have had the brat much earlier if my idiotic minions hadn't mixed up the bait between Dogtooth and your brother. I would have made him suffer just for being your brother until he broke. I had planned to record every session and send them to you as a constant reminder of what a failure you are." The poor excuse for a man began laughing at that and Katakuri decided he had heard enough.

He turned Teach around and held him out at just the right height for Fire Fist to deliver a hard, satisfying punch to the man's face, sending him straight to the floor. Teach's laughter cut off abruptly with sharp, hacking coughs that had him gasping, unable to breathe as blood bubbled past his lips. Within moments he went still, eyes wide and unseeing in death.

"Good riddance." Blondie muttered and Katakuri had to agree.

"Glad that's over with," Phoenix said, "Now about that other problem we have? I actually solved it while you were killing him-yoi." Katakuri raised an eyebrow,

"You solved Kaido coming to the city?"

"Yep, Pops said we'll handle it, you three go save Luffy-yoi." Katakuri nodded in agreement and turned to leave, mind already running through plans to murder Doflamingo, but stopped when Phoenix exclaimed, "There's something hanging from that door-yoi. Is it...a necklace?"

Katakuri's body went cold as he turned and to see what the man was gesturing towards. His fear was confirmed when he recognized Luffy's birthday present, the pendant glinting in the low light and the torn strap embedded on a rusty nail.

Walking over quickly to get a closer look, he found that it wasn't just the choker but also Luffy's tracking chip that had obviously been recently removed if the blood was anything to go by.

He gently removed the necklace and placed it in his pocket before turning around and stalking out of the room without a word to the others.

* * *

 **LAW'S POV**

The fact that Doflamingo had disappeared so suddenly was very worrisome, especially considering his strange behavior at the zoo. So when he returned along with four trucks suspiciously full of armed men, Law was understandably concerned.

After waiting for about an hour, giving his uncle time to calm down from the excitement of wherever it was he had been, Law began to follow the man through the mansion.

Doflamingo walked to a part of the mansion that hadn't been used in years, entered what Law remembered was Luffy's old room and left a few moments later.

Seeing his chance, Law quickly went to the door and attempted to enter, only to find it locked. Grumbling in annoyance, he pulled one of the bobby pins he'd taken from Kidd out of his pocket and began to pick the lock, forcing himself to be patient with the thing even though he knew Doffy could return at any moment.

Once he got the door open and entered the room, Law was shocked to find a very familiar figure tied to the bed.

"Luffy-ya!" he exclaimed, moving further into the room. He instinctively checked his friend for signs of life and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a steady pulse though it was slower than normal, indicating that he had been sedated.

Law had just begun reaching for one of the straps restraining Luffy when a deep voice interrupted him.

"What are you doing in here, Nephew?" Doflamingo asked, an odd look on his face. Law placed his hand back on Luffy's arm, trying to look as natural as possible,

"Just making sure he's alright," he replied, keeping his tone neutral, "Why have you brought him here?"

"Oh, he's mine so of course he belongs here with me and all of my other belongings." Doffy replied easily, instantly setting off all of Law's internal alarms.

"Um...what?"

"Fufufufufu," Doflamingo chuckled darkly, "Why are you really here, Law? Are you here to steal from me?"

"No! I just…" Law didn't get a chance to finish his excuse as the door opened to admit Vergo.

"Would you like me to remove him, Young Master?"

"Please do," Doflamingo said, waving his hand dismissively at Law. Immediately on alert, he attempted to defend himself from Vergo's vicious attack knowing he was no match for the older man.

After a few short seconds of scuffling, Law's vision went black from a particularly hard blow to the back of his head.

* * *

 **TORKAI'S POV**

Torkai pawed at the contraption keeping his jaws shut and glared at all of the humans in the vicinity. He could not believe he had been treated with such disrespect even if his captor was such a dishonorable human alpha.

Even after his warning, the human had completely disregarded him and attempted to take the pup without its alpha's consent. Of course, Torkai had intervened, managing to bite into the human alpha's arm, using the smaller human as a launch pad. But he should have anticipated the dishonorable tactics of the human as one of his men captured the weak pup in his absence, forcing him to submit or watch the pup be harmed.

He could only hope that the pup's alpha would come for him soon.

* * *

 **DOFLAMINGO'S POV**

After Vergo carried the unconscious Law out of the room, Doflamingo took a seat on the bed next to his favorite pet.

"Ah my precious Lashaka, finally back where you belong," he crooned, running a hand over his pet's fluffy new ears, "and with your new look, you'll be quite popular...though we'll need to do something about that tail...it could be a handicap in the ring."

Of course, sedated as he was, the kid on the bed didn't respond but that didn't bother the man. Knowing his pet as he did, he would have ended up having to punish him for shouting or something of the sort if he was awake.

His peaceful time was interrupted by the shrill tone of his phone, he was mildly annoyed by this, however, he could guess who it was and that made up for it.

"I've been waiting for your call," he said with a chuckle, "how are things, Dogtooth?"

"Cut the crap, Joker," came the angry response, "Luffy had better be unharmed or-"

"Or what?" Doffy asked, "You'll kill me? Not to worry, _my_ precious pet is doing just fine. He's merely taking an _extended_ nap at the moment so I'm afraid he can't reassure you himself."

"Know this, Joker," Dogtooth growled, "I'm coming for you and I will not be leaving without Luffy. Stand in my way and I will not hesitate to _end you._ "

"Yes, yes," Doflamingo replied, nodding understandingly, "do try your best." And with that, he ended the call, amused.

"You hear that, Pet, your precious _mate_ is coming to save you," he cackled. Doflamingo picked up the end of the long tail that lay limply against the bed and waved it back and forth, "do try and contain your excitement."


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Authors' Note:** Hope everyone's having a wonderful break (for those in school) or just a good week in general! Enjoy the update :)

 **Review Responses:**

 **myzmsandraa99:** Sorry for the wait, thanks for the review! Doffy has been traumatized from his time as a flamingo in solitary confinement...he's more or less actually lost his mind. Katakuri's coming! XD

 **yukino76:** Yep, we all hate Teach. Good riddance! Doffy...yeah, he probably shouldn't be poking the bear. Law's okay, just regretting his familial relations. Thanks for the review!

 **12tailedninja-demon:** Thank you so much for your sweet compliments, we are both very glad that you are enjoying our story! :3 Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

 **Aelyanne:** You're welcome for introducing you to the cuteness that is KataLu ;) Thanks so much for the compliments! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

 **WARNINGS:**

\- Mentions of drugs  
\- Violence  
\- In case you haven't caught on, Doffy's lost his mind  
\- Traffic  
\- Road rage  
\- Doffy  
\- Mild panic attack

* * *

 **CORAZON'S POV**

Corazon was not entirely sure how his paperwork kept multiplying but there always seemed to be more waiting for his attention. Maybe if his brother would take a break from his illegal activities, there wouldn't be so much to do…

" _Why can't his hobby be something innocent like...stamp collecting or something? But noooo he has to do things like run drugs and kidnap people!"_

He heard a lot of...suspicious noises from the other side of the house and sighed. It was best if he just ignored it...as long as Law wasn't in any danger from whatever crazy scheme his brother had concocted.

Just then, Vergo threw open the door to the study and unceremoniously deposited an unconscious Law on the couch. Corazon jumped to his feet and rushed over to his son,

"What happened?!" he demanded, searching for any injuries. When he discovered a nasty welt on the back of Law's head, he straightened up to his full height and glowered at who he assumed was the perpetrator, "HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND ON MY SON!"

Said man was already backing up towards the door, beads of sweat betraying his calm demeanor,

"Doffy's orders," he said before quickly retreating out of the room. Corazon spent another second or two glaring at where the man had been before turning his attention back to Law.

After a few minutes of basically turning Law into a mummy with bandages and blankets, just to be safe, his attention was drawn back to the door when Doffy strutted into the room, disturbingly happy.

"Doffy," Corazon started, "Doffy, do you see what you have done to my son?"

"Oh he's fine, he's young and has a thick skull," Doffy replied, waving him off as he took a seat across from them. Corazon's eyes narrowed as his brother began to hum something unrecognizable. There was _definitely_ something going on with him.

"So...has injuring your nephew made you incredibly happy for some reason?" he asked calmly,

"First, _Vergo_ was the one who merely...tapped...Law on the head," Doffy protested, "Besides he could use the sleep anyway-"

"There's a difference between being unconscious and sleeping…" Corazon mumbled but his brother kept speaking,

"But no, my joy is mostly from having _finally_ taken back my Lashaka," Doffy grinned at that and Corazon frowned,

"You're still obsessed with that kid? Why can't you just let him live his life? I'm sure there are other fighters out there."

"No! Lashaka is a gem! A diamond in the rough! He is my unparalleled fighter, his own plans are irrelevant. I can't wait until he wakes up!"

"Oh did Vergo "tap" him too?" Corazon couldn't resist asking,

"Oh no, that one was me," Doffy replied proudly, "I have him restrained in his old room,"

At this point, Corazon was becoming increasingly concerned with literally everything coming out of his brother's mouth.

"Yes, it was quite easy, it seems he's a bit out of practice. Of course, I'm not worried about it at all, it won't take long to get him back into shape now that he's where he belongs...even if he does come with some _baggage…"_

"I'm sorry...baggage?" Corazon questioned, "what kind of _baggage?"_

"Oh nothing serious," Doffy assured him, "it's just...I may have antagonized Dogtooth...who is currently on his way here to kill us all...no big deal."

Corazon wasn't sure how to respond to that but all he could think of was his precious son being impaled on the mob boss's massive trident.

"What did you do to make him so angry?!" Corazon exclaimed when he finally found his voice again,

"Well, it seems he's become quite attached to my little fighter and didn't take too kindly to me threatening him," came the blunt response.

"You threatened him?"

"He wanted my Lashaka back, I wasn't about to let him think he could get away with that. He was _coddling_ him, not using him the way he should! That's such a waste of talent, don't you agree, Roci?"

After that...illuminating response, Corazon began mentally making plans for his and Law's escape...considering Doffy probably wouldn't survive the night.

"Yes...I agree, we are all going to die and it is all your fault."

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri was quite aware of how...dangerously he was driving but he really couldn't care less. So what if Fire Fist and the blond one were screaming in the back seat? It was inconsequential compared to saving Luffy as quickly as possible.

As Katakuri drove recklessly down the highway, he contemplated the many ways birds could be barbecued and skewered. It didn't really calm him that much...

"GET OUT OF THE WAY! MOVE, SLOWPOKES!" he yelled even though he knew they couldn't hear him. He really wished his medium-sized sedan would go faster.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy groaned as he opened his eyes and blinked, the room slowly coming into focus. He immediately wished he was still asleep as he recognized his old room in the Don Quixote household. Luffy, reacting in the only way he could to the situation, started thrashing around and screaming insults to the stupid bird who had taken him back to this place, demanding that he release him.

Of course, this brought the man himself into the room, an unsettling smirk plastered on his face.

"Ah, you're awake, Pet!" he practically purred, "And just as loud as I remember. Do shut up." Luffy paused at that,

"What did you just call me?" he asked in disbelief, "I am _not_ your pet!"

"Ah, but you are! You belong to me, Lashaka, and I have so many fun things planned," Mingo cackled, "Don't worry, you'll come to accept it in due time...but first, we need to see about shortening this tail of yours. It'll be quite the handicap in the ring if it isn't dealt with before your first fight."

Luffy immediately pulled his tail in close to his body, ears flattening against his head as he glared up at the man.

"Wait, what?!"

"Don't interrupt me, Pet." Mingo snapped, "As I was saying, Caesar has also given me a few ideas to make you even stronger, nothing strictly _legal_ but who cares about that. I've heard doping can be quite effective, though addictive in some cases...oh well, you can handle it, right? Of course you can! We're going to have sooo much fun!"

Luffy didn't remember Bird Guy being quite so scary the last time they met. That didn't change the fact that he was _not_ staying with him.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!" Luffy shouted in protest, "LET ME GO YOU CRAZY FLAMINGO!"

Luffy was not expecting the response he got for that outburst as one large hand grabbed him by the face and pulled him as far up towards the man as the restraints would allow. Mingo was no longer smiling as he growled,

"You watch your mouth, Brat. I'm your master now and you _will_ show me respect or I will allow Caesar to _alter_ you to make you more manageable."

Luffy futilely tried to pull away from the man's iron grip, still shouting protests.

"You know, I rather like this," Mingo said, a thoughtful look crossing his face, "the silence, that is…" he trailed off as Luffy managed to get free enough to bite his hand. Mingo's only reaction to this was a raised eyebrow and a swift backhand to Luffy's face.

"You've grown quite wild in your time out of the ring," Mingo commented, "it seems we will have to put some effort into retraining you. Not to worry, you're worth the time it will take."

Luffy, in response, spat the blood that had accumulated in his mouth at Mingo's face.

His sense of satisfaction upon seeing it hit its target died quickly as the man pulled out what looked like a mouthpiece with leather straps and some sort of mask thing.

"W-what is that? What are you doing?" he asked, now trying to back away from Mingo though the restraints kept him in place, "Keep that thing away from me!"

"Just relax," Mingo said, "this is all part of your training." With that, he grabbed a fistful of Luffy's hair and yanked it backward, forcing his head down and his mouth open from the pain. Mingo shoved the mouthpiece between Luffy's teeth and quickly fastened it before he could spit it out.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mingo said soothingly, "Now one more part," He held up the mask looking thing, "Just need to keep you...muzzled, I suppose, as an extra precaution."

Luffy tried to avoid the mask though he knew the restraints wouldn't let him move very far. Unfortunately, his second kidnapper had apparently splurged on some quality restraints.

" _He must've gotten better ones since the last time I ripped through them…"_

There was nothing he could do to stop the mask from being placed over the bottom half of his face, including his nose. Luffy felt his chest tighten as he heard the clicking of a lock behind his head. All he could think about was suffocating and the lack of oxygen, just like the fire all those years ago.

"Now, now, calm down," Mingo cooed, "you can still breathe, though I imagine it is a bit harder. Just breathe through your nose, it's alright."

Attempting to calm his breathing, Luffy almost missed the door opening and a familiar figure entering the room.

"Everything going alright?" Caesar asked, "I see the muzzle works well."

"Yes, I quite like it," Mingo replied, "It's one of your best creations so far...however, I would prefer something that would allow him to eat without us risking losing a hand every time we need to put it back on."

"Well...I could change the design to include space for a feeding tube at mealtimes?" Caesar suggested. Mingo shook his head,

"No, too complicated, and we'd have to take it off to make the changes. Do you have any...more permanent solutions?"

Luffy's eyes widened and he shook his head, horrified by their conversation. Permanent solutions? Mingo, apparently seeing his movement, reached over and patted Luffy on the head a few times, not really sparing him a glance as he continued speaking.

"I do prefer my pet silent as opposed to screaming his head off all the time. Plus, silent fighters intimidate their opponents more in the ring." Caesar considered that for a moment before he said,

"Well, we do have a few options...though they might take some time…"

"What's the fastest option?" Mingo interrupted,

"Well...um...sir, the fastest methods may not be...safe…"

"Will he survive?"

"...yes."

"Do it."

"But sir!" Caesar protested, "The procedure is not necessarily...safe...though effective, I recommend an alternative option if you want him to be able to fight soon. Since the fastest option is the most invasive he would need time to recover and heal before anything else…"

"Do it," Mingo ordered, ignoring Luffy's increased thrashing on the bed, "He'll be fine."

At this point, Luffy was honestly more than a little bit scared. It had been a long time since he'd been trapped in a situation like this with the threat of something so serious looming over his head.

" _Kuri please get here soon! I don't want to lose my voice!"_

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

" _Honestly though could these people drive any slower?"_ Katakuri fumed as he sat in his car, frustrated.

Fire Fist shifted slightly in the backseat and Katakuri glared at him in the rearview mirror. He required absolute silence in his vehicle so that he could focus on controlling his rage...and the traffic of course.

" _Hold on Luffy. I'll be there...eventually…"_

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy eyed the medical equipment being rolled into his room with apprehension. There were now many more people around, all scientists that Caesar had assured Mingo were the best in their fields.

"Hold still now," one scientist said, "I need to take a, um, scan of your neck."

Luffy shook his head instead of following that order, now even more apprehensive as these "nurses" did not seem to know what they were doing. Mingo merely sighed and held Luffy's head still so that they could x-ray his neck. As he listened to the scientists talk anatomically he became extremely concerned as it became apparent that they did _not_ know what they were talking about.

" _Kuri….where are you?"_

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri was stuck in traffic and it sucked. He had to continuously remind himself that getting into an accident...or causing one...would merely mean Luffy was waiting longer, something that was completely unacceptable.

Thankfully, his two passengers were keeping quiet and not getting on his nerves.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy was past being concerned at this point, he was decidedly scared watching a scientist sharpen scalpels as another one drew lines on his neck. He had already attempted to at least slow them down by batting at them with his tail, but that had stopped when Mingo very seriously threatened to remove the entirety of it if Luffy did not keep it still.

"Good boy," Mingo had said, "See? The training is already working!"

Luffy merely glared at the man for a moment, then went back to watching the scientists prepare.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

He'd finally broken through traffic and was now speeding towards Don Quixote Mansion. He could only wonder what Joker was doing to Luffy while he dawdled.

As Katakuri saw the mansion in the distance, he could only hope that he wasn't too late.

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy thrashed around so much that Mingo and a few of the scientists had to hold him down as the IV was inserted into his arm, even though the restraints were still in place. As his vision blurred, all he could think about was Kuri...and his brothers...but mostly Kuri, hoping that they would save him in time...that they would be able to stop the procedure.

"That's it, Pet," Mingo crooned above him, petting Luffy's head and ears, "just go to sleep."

The last thing Luffy heard was the man's deranged cackling as his vision went black.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Authors' Note:** Hello everyone, hope you had a wonderful Christmas and will have a fantastic New Year! So...the next chapter is technically the last chapter if you don't count the epilogue...kinda weird to finish our first story together...anyway, hope you enjoy the update. Thanks so much for reading!

 **Review Responses:**

 **Aelyanne:** Hello again! Yeah, Doffy's definitely insane...he's lost it. Caesar is absolutely no help. Yes, the villains of this story, the feared Dodo and Blackbird. XD  
Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments! We hope that you enjoy the new chapter and kudos to you for indoctinating your boyfriend!

 **yukino76:** Yes, Kuri hurry up! As always, thanks for the review! :)

 **myzmsandraa99:** Sorry for the wait, life happens. Yep, Katakuri does need to speed things up. Luffy is in trouble. Thanks for the review!

 **WARNINGS:**

 **\- Violence  
\- Death  
\- Gore  
\- Insanity  
\- Non-con body modification/surgery  
\- Secret girlfriends  
\- Angry Kuri  
**

* * *

 **ACE'S POV**

Ace was trying to ignore the fact that he and Sabo were clutching each other tightly as though they were still children but who wouldn't while being thrown around in the backseat of a small car driven by a furious mob boss?

"Ace…" Sabo whispered, too scared to raise his voice, "if I don't make it...tell Koala I loved her!"

"Who the heck is Koala?!" Ace shot back, also whispering.

"My uh...my girlfriend…"

"Wait...what?!" Ace exclaimed, earning a death glare from Dogtooth that had him shrinking back against the seat,

"Oh...um...yeah, she's great…" Sabo muttered awkwardly,

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ace demanded, "How long have you been dating her?"

"Uh...two years…" Sabo admitted, "I was planning on telling you...eventually…"

Before Ace could reply, the car skidded to a stop in front of a large mansion. Dogtooth didn't even unlock the backdoors just jumped out of the car and ran towards the house. Unfortunately, this forced Ace and Sabo to have to crawl up to the front and out of the driver's door due to the child locks in the back.

Surprisingly, they managed to catch up to the large man who had stopped in the entryway, scowling at the five different hallways there were to choose from.

"...how do we know which one will lead to Lu?" Sabo asked no one in particular.

"We don't," Dogtooth answered and took off down the hallway on the far left.

As they ran, Ace became somewhat hopeful as the hall seemed to lead down to a sort of basement lined with cages of all sizes. The first few were empty, but as they continued, it became clear that they were actually kennels filled with dogs.

Ace was about to suggest that they turn back and try a different hallway when a voice began yelling,

"I demand you remove this contraption!" it demanded, "Remove it so that I may rip out the throats of all who would imprison me!"

Somewhat confused, the trio rounded the corner and found two men in lab coats struggling with a very large beast. Dogtooth didn't even pause before skewering the two of them together on his trident, dumping their lifeless corpses on the floor.

Ace exchanged a nervous glance with Sabo, both of them seriously rethinking their choice to accompany Dogtooth on this mission as he seemed to be a bit...unstable. Surprising them, the large beast, which they could now see was a wolf, approached Dogtooth and spoke.

"You are a powerful alpha. Would you please remove this contraption from my face so that I may thank you properly?" Dogtooth shrugged and cut the muzzle's straps with his trident, evidently not in the mood to just undo the buckles.

The wolf stared at the tall man for a moment before bowing his head as he spoke once again.

"My humblest apologies, Alpha Kur, I failed to protect your mate from the bird man. It is my greatest shame that I was unable to protect such a tiny omega." Dogtooth glanced back at Ace and Sabo, obviously confused.

"I'm sorry...I believe you have me confused with someone else…" Dogtooth said carefully.

"No," the wolf replied, "I could not possibly mistake the mate of Lashaka!"

"Um…"

"You are Kuri, are you not?" the wolf continued,

"Well...yes…" Dogtooth admitted.

All Ace could think of at that moment was why the heck this wolf was calling Dogtooth Luffy's mate.

"I suppose I am Kuri…" Dogtooth said, "That is what Luffy calls me. Do you know where he is?"

"Ah, there is nothing more glorious than the quest to reclaim a lost mate! I can lead you to your omega."

"Who even are you?" Ace asked, annoyed.

"Insolent pup!" the wolf snapped, "Do not interrupt when your elders are speaking! This is a conversation for alphas, not betas. Remember my name, youngling, I am Torkai, Alpha of the New Moon Pack, Slayer of Titan the Terrible, Mate of Shakiba. And you, you are young Lashaka's kin! Those that give him such feelings of loneliness and isolation."

Ace was honestly taken aback. Had Lu told him that he felt this way?

"Enough," Dogtooth said, "We don't have time for this. Lead the way to Luffy, Wolf."

Ace scowled at the wolf as he proceeded to completely ignore both him and Sabo, leaving the room with Dogtooth in tow.

While they were running, following the very rude animal, Sabo began muttering to himself.

"Why does he consider us betas? I suppose it might be Dogtooth's presence? He is more obviously an alpha of sorts so perhaps it overshadowed our own potential…"

"Sabo," Ace interrupted him, "now is not the time!"

They followed the wolf through a great many halls and up a few staircases into an increasingly homey-looking area that was obviously lived in, certainly not where anyone would expect a prisoner to be held. Torkai stopped in front of a closed door and growled,

"In here,"

That was all Dogtooth needed before he violently kicked the door in.

They all rushed into the room and Ace could only stare in shock at the scene before him. Though they had stopped what they were doing from the sudden entrance, it was obvious that the people surrounding the bed were in the middle of some sort of surgery on his baby brother's neck.

Luffy himself was thankfully unconscious, bound to the bed with what looked like a muzzle fastened tightly over the bottom half of his face. The worst part was the sight of the gaping hole in the boy's neck. It didn't seem to have been done cleanly, the wound's edges were jagged, blood spattered and smeared on all available surfaces.

Ace had never been more horrified and apparently, Sabo felt the same way as he dropped to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

 **LAW'S POV**

"Cora-san, this is ridiculous!" Law exclaimed, struggling against the bandages the man had used to tie him to a chair, "I need to stop Doffy from doing whatever it is he plans to do to Luffy-ya!"

Apparently, his adopted father had created a secret bunker for whenever Doffy finally lost it...which, in reality, was a pretty smart move. However, Law knew he shouldn't be hiding while his friend was in trouble.

"Nonsense!" Cora-san replied, "We must stay in here where it is safe until we know that Dogtooth is gone. It may take a few days but that's okay, we have enough supplies to last us at least a month."

"Dogtooth?" Law asked, "Why are we hiding from him?"

"Well, your brilliant uncle decided it would be a great idea to antagonize the man after he had already antagonized him by bringing the kid here in the first place…"

"Wow...that, that is pretty bad…" Law admitted, "but I still need to go. Luffy needs help."

"Now, now," Cora-san said, attempting to soothe him, "I'm sure he's fine. Look, why don't we check in on him?"

"You have cameras in the bedrooms?" Law deadpanned.

"You can never be too careful." Cora-san said defensively, "especially not with Doffy running around."

Law had to admit he had a point there.

Cora-san pulled up the feed from the camera in Luffy's room and they froze in horror at the sight.

"Cora-san you need to let me leave _now._ " Law growled, "If I do not get to Luffy in time, he will bleed to death!"

"...but...Law…"

"If you have ever loved me, you will let me leave!"

Cora-san gaped at him, apparently shocked that he would say such things.

"Look, Cora-san," Law continued, attempting to calm himself a bit, "I don't care about many people...in fact there's only about three that I actually like...I just... I _need_ to save my friend!"

His adoptive father closed his mouth, sighed, and nodded reluctantly.

* * *

 **KATAKURI'S POV**

Katakuri didn't really stop to think just lunged forward and plunged himself into "battle". The sight of Joker _petting_ Luffy was _more_ than enough to send him over the edge. He first took care of the would-be surgeons with his already bloodied trident before turning and ripping Doflamingo away from the bed.

"Well, well! Look who finally decided to show up! A bit late aren't we? Hit traffic?" Joker jeered as Katakuri swung his trident down in an attempt to hit the surprisingly agile man.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO LUFFY?!" Katakuri yelled, the image of Luffy's open throat now burned into his memory. Joker laughed,

"Oh, nothing much," he said, "I was getting tired of his protests so I decided to simply take away his voice! Don't you agree that he would be much more compliant if he couldn't say no?"

Katakuri growled and shoved the cackling man up against the wall by the throat.

"You're sick," he snarled, "you disgusting excuse for a man."

At this point, Fire Fist had snapped out of his shock and was standing over Luffy...panicking about what to do. With the only person in the room who might have possibly known what to do unconscious on the floor, Katakuri began to fear that Luffy might actually die...until a mummified young man staggered through the door snapping,

"Portgas-ya, don't touch that!"

"TRAFALGAR, THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE!" Fire Fist exclaimed, "You've gotta do something! Luffy's dying!"

"I am aware," the tattooed man replied, "Cora-san, let go of my leg! Make yourself useful and call an ambulance!"

Katakuri couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight of a...doctor?...wrapped in bandages, dragging a bawling man who had his arms wrapped around the younger's leg.

"Law! I see you and Roci decided to join the party! I had thought my dear brother would keep you locked up in that bunker he thinks I don't know about." Joker put in.

"Shut up," the doctor...Law, snapped while rushing to Luffy's side.

Deciding that Luffy was in good hands, Katakuri decided to take the fight elsewhere and tossed the other mob boss out into the hallway where there was much more room.

Joker immediately jumped to his feet and took out a large pistol from inside his coat.

"It's too late, _Kuri._ " Joker sneered, "That boy has always belonged to me and even now, even if you manage to save him, he will bear my mark _forever!_ "

Katakuri saw red. There was no response he could possibly think of that could accurately convey his rage. This man who had most certainly scarred Luffy for life would not live to see another day.

While Joker was cackling away, the wolf entered the hallway with a growl, fur bristling along his spine.

"Fellow alpha, would you like assistance with bringing down the bird man?"

"No, this is my fight," Katakuri replied, "stay and watch over Luffy."

"As you wish. I swear I will not fail in protecting your omega this time. The medicine human is healing him now, I will guard them diligently!"

Katakuri didn't wait to watch the wolf re-enter the room, lunging for Joker, trident held tightly. His opponent fired twice, the second shot piercing his shoulder. Katakuri ignored the wound, all of his attention focus solely on the man before him and the satisfying sensation of his trident piercing flesh. The weapon would have torn through Joker's chest but the man attempted to dodge at the last second, taking the attack to his arm instead.

Joker cursed and backed off a bit, switching the gun to his other hand before firing and missing once again. Katakuri began walking towards the man, confident in the knowledge that his enemy wouldn't be alive much longer.

Joker fired his fourth shot and watched as the wall near Katakuri's head took the damage. Katakuri snorted in disdain, two shots left.

The fifth shot whizzed past Katakuri's head a bit too close for comfort but he kept walking forward even as his target retreated. He knew he would have to be more careful as Joker lined up his final shot.

The sixth shot would have hit had Katakuri not been prepared, his trident deflecting the bullet before it could bury itself between his eyes.

Before the sound of the gun had faded, Joker threw himself forward, diving beneath Katakuri's outstretched weapon to land a glancing blow with the knife he'd pulled from his pocket. Katakuri dropped his trident to defend himself in close quarters, deciding that he really wouldn't mind killing the man with his bare hands if this was the way Joker wanted to play.

Katakuri was a bit surprised by Doflamingo's height. Once, he had been taller than the other man but now they seemed to be even, and that wasn't the only thing that had changed.

Katakuri winced at a fist landing on his ribs and knew without a doubt that the other man had grown stronger. This didn't really worry him too much as he managed to remove the knife from Joker's grip with relative ease and return the blow while he was at it.

A moment later, Katakuri decided he was growing bored with the fight. He needed to end it so that he could get to Luffy.

This in mind, Katakuri stepped even further into Doflamingo's space and broke his nose with a blow from the heel of his hand sending the man staggering backward as blood poured out and tears blinded him. Katakuri used this distraction to spin around, pick up his trident, and thrust it straight into Doflamingo's chest.

Katakuri yanked his trident out of the man's chest and watched him stagger backward. To his horror, Doflamingo began to laugh even as he gasped and coughed through the blood welling up in his lungs.

"This isn't over, _Kuri,_ " the man wheezed, "even in death, I will still haunt my dear pet's every waking moment and his every dream…"

Katakuri really didn't want to hear anymore of that so he used his trident to knock the man over so that he lay flat on his back. Just like Luffy's last captor, Doflamingo would die choking on his own blood. As Joker breathed his last, the wall suddenly burst open revealing a strange old man holding Captain Smoker and Mihawk in his arms.

"WHERE ARE MY GRANDSONS?!" the man yelled, stepping over Doflamingo's body.

"Put me down, Garp!" Smoker growled. He was ignored as Garp focused on Katakuri.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

Katakuri merely pointed to the correct room and watched as the man dropped the detective and the cop and stalked away.

Smoker and Mihawk stood, attempting to look as though they hadn't just been carried around like sacks of flour, and immediately zeroed in on the body.

"So," Smoker began, "what's the story here?" Before Katakuri could answer, there came a shout from the other room,

"SABO! GET YOUR USELESS BUTT UP! CAN'T YOU SEE YOUR LITTLE BROTHER'S IN TROUBLE?!"

At that outburst, Smoker rushed into the other room and Mihawk moved closer to Katakuri, pulling out a first aid kit.

"Sit," he ordered, "you've been shot."

The detective led him over to the closest wall and helped him sit down.

"We passed an ambulance on the way here," Mihawk told him as he began treating Katakuri's shoulder wound, "it should arrive soon. Would you believe that Garp runs faster than any car I've ever seen?" Katakuri couldn't help but chuckle at that,

"Really? He's what...sixty-five?"

"Seventy-eight." Mihawk informed him. Katakuri wasn't sure how to respond to that but it was nice to have a simple conversation after everything that had happened. He could only hope now that Luffy would make it, with his voice preferably intact.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

_**Authors' Note:**_ Hey guys, guess what? This is the last chapter, not counting the epilogue. It's quite exciting! Thanks for reading our story, we appreciate all of the support!

 **Review Responses:**

 **Aelyanne:** Hello again! Yes, Dodo is dead. We are not sorry. Though we don't actually hate him, he kind of went nuts. Kuri is adorably powerful and we love him very much. How else would Garp enter a building but through the wall? Thanks for reviewing again! :)

 **yukino76:** Kuri would never let Doffy get away with provoking him and hurting Lu... and Law's got this. Thanks for the review!

 **hina:** Thank you for reviewing, we really appreciate it! :)

 **WARNINGS:**

\- FLUFF... so much FLUFF

\- Mild panic attack

\- A carcass

\- Slapping

\- Hiding from problems in Lu's hair

* * *

 **LUFFY'S POV**

Luffy wasn't quite sure how he felt at the moment. Everything felt weird. It was like his body didn't quite know where it was. Finally forcing his eyes open, Luffy stared at the unfamiliar ceiling… confused.

" _What… happened…?"_ He thought, " _Where's Mingo? Kuri?"_

He tried to turn his head to orient himself only to freeze at the sudden sharp pain radiating from his neck. Luffy's eyes widened as the memories came flooding back.

" _Did Mingo…!?"_

"Easy, Luffy…" A familiar voice soothed, "You're in the hospital, it's okay. Try not to move." Suddenly, Kuri's relieved face loomed over him, making Luffy relax just a little. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Kuri's massive hand.

"No, don't try to talk. You're still healing." Kuri insisted, chuckling when Luffy proceeded to pout at him. "Don't even go there, brat. You know that doesn't work on me."

Luffy huffed and gave Kuri a small smile before reaching a shaky hand up to remove the larger man's hand from his mouth and intertwined his fingers to pull it down to the bed. Kuri squeezed his hand gently even as his expression turned serious.

"Luffy, the doctors say you're lucky to be alive. They assure us your voice will return in time, though we aren't sure to what extent." Kuri informed him, "They've been fawning over your surgeon friend. Apparently, he's got talent though his… appearance can be a bit off putting."

Luffy's smile widened at that, thinking how much Torao must hate the attention. He also tried not to think about how many lectures his former roommate would give him for being kidnapped in the first place. Kuri then took his hand in both of his and leaned in like he was going to say something important.

"L-Luffy… I-I-" He started, but didn't get to finish as the door crashed opened and three bodies rushed in. Luffy eyed Kuri as he skillfully removed his hands and sat back like nothing had happened.

"LLUUUUFFFFFYYYYY!" Ace sobbed, "YOU'RE ALIVE!" Sabo didn't yell, but was definitely crying. Luffy smiled up at them, though it vanished when he saw the massive figure behind them. It had been years since the last time he'd seen Gramps, and for once in his life, Luffy was happy to see him.

"How's my favorite grandson?" Garp asked, pushing Ace and Sabo out of the way so he was right next to Kuri, who looked less than pleased. Seeing his family all gathered to support him, all of Luffy's pent up emotions were released at once in a flood of silent tears. He reached up for his Gramps, wanting to be held.

Garp looked taken aback at this for a second, but then pulled him gently into his arms. Though Luffy was sore and aching, there was no place he'd rather be. Of course, until Garp wiped his nose on his hospital gown.

"WAHHHHHH! YOU'RE SO PRECIOUS!" Garp cried, clutching him closer, "NOTHING LIKE THAT DEADBEAT DAD OF YOURS!" Thankfully, Kuri saved him from being crushed and helped him back into bed, adjusting it so he was more upright.

Now more awake, Luffy gestured to his throat, wanting to know more about his… injury. Though, no one seemed to understand what he was trying to say as they all gave each other confused looks.

"What is it, Lu?" Sabo asked, now more composed, "Are you thirsty?" Luffy shook his head and gestured again.

"Uh... you're hungry?" Ace guessed, earning a glare from Luffy. Turning to Kuri, he hoped he would understand, but the man simply started fussing over him and asking if he was in pain. Luckily, Torao chose that moment to enter the room.

"What are you idiots doing to my patient?" He snapped, impressively shoving Garp out of the way. "Let me through!" Luffy gestured to his throat again, hoping the doctor would understand.

"I think he wants meat." Ace stated with a confident smirk, prompting Torao to roll his eyes.

"No, he does NOT want meat…. Surprisingly. I believe he wants more information about what happened and what his diagnosis is."

Luffy nodded and gave Torao a thankful glance before rolling his eyes at Ace.

"Speaking of, did you learn anything new?" Kuri asked, gaining the doctor's attention.

"I'll get to that." Torao replied, "Before that, Luffy-ya should be informed of what occurred while he was unconscious."

Luffy was shocked to learn that Mingo was dead and finally out of his life. He also felt a little sick to the stomach at the thought of people cutting his neck open for all to see. Ace apparently felt the same as he turned green and ran to the bathroom. Torao said that he had been able to staunch the bleeding and stabilize him before Garp arrived. Luffy was surprised his Gramps hadn't picked him up and sprinted to the hospital, but he was taken in an ambulance instead.

"Your surgery went well, and we are hoping for a relatively full recovery." Torao said with a rare smile. That made Luffy feel a little bit better.

"Wait… 'relatively'? What does that mean?" Garp bellowed, startling some nurses in the hallway.

"Well… due to some scarring that we simply cannot fix completely, we believe Luffy-ya's voice may be affected."

"Affected how?" Sabo added.

"While he will be able to speak again, his voice may sound different and he may not be able to speak over a certain volume." Torao admitted, giving Luffy a sorrowful look, "I am sorry, Luffy-ya. My uncle was insane and did horrible things to you… I feel somewhat responsible."

Luffy shook his head carefully and motioned for him to come closer. When Torao came within range, he slapped him across the face, shocking everyone. But, considering he couldn't talk, this was the best way he could think of to tell Torao he was an idiot. He then pulled his stunned friend in for a hug, hoping Torao understood.

Torao pulled back and Luffy gave him "the look", making him chuckle.

"Thanks, Luffy-ya, but don't _ever_ do that again."

His friends and family stayed for as long as they could until the nurses came to kick them out. Except for Kuri, who refused to leave even when threatened with a scalpel by a particular brave nurse.

Now alone, Luffy decided he wanted a hug from Kuri. He reached up and wiggled his hands, smiling expectantly. Kuri returned his smile and engulfed him in a warm embrace.

"Luffy, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to get there." Kuri whispered, "I-If only I'd been there-"

Having none of that, Luffy pulled back and slapped Kuri as well, albeit lighter than he had Torao, before lunging back into the hug.

They remained there for a while, until Luffy started to yawn. Kuri pushed him back into bed and handed him Sunny who was part of a large pile of stuffed animals brought for him.

"Tomorrow, I'll have Cracker bring a dry-erase board for you. No more slapping." He reprimanded lightly, making Luffy salute in amusement.

The next few days were full of visitors, starting with Smokey and Hawkey. Smokey pretended like he didn't care, but Luffy knew he loved him. Zoro and Sanji the puppy came as well, armed with fluffy blankets and some soup (apparently made by Zoro who was directed by the puppy). Robin and Franky came by and made him laugh with bad jokes and a skull of some creature she'd liberated from the museum.

Surprising everyone, Crocodile showed up along with that appliance guy who Luffy couldn't remember his name. Kuri wasn't very happy about that, but he gave him chocolate, so Luffy didn't care. He did wonder if Crocodile was upset about Mingo being dead… they seemed close.

Kuri's family came by almost every day, bringing him gifts and food (along with the promised dry-erase board that came in handy). The different gangs took turns guarding his room, so the second day, Ace's Pops stopped by, which was fun as everyone was terrified. Pineapple and his friend "Fluff Head" or "the Food Guy" accompanied Ace and talked with him for hours. Kuri was always there in his permanent seat next to his bed, refusing to leave no matter what.

Shanks arrived on day three, along with his entire gang, which apparently caused some tension or something between him and Kuri. But it was nice to see him and Benn and listen to their many stories.

Luffy was pretty sure the leopard guy visited, though he never actually saw him. He did however find a cute stuffed leopard key-chain lying on his nightstand with a "Get Well Soon" note attached. He also received a strange card that simply said, "Feel better, Dad" though he had no idea who that was.

After an exhausted week of closely monitored recovery, Luffy was finally able to go home, by which he meant Kuri's house. Ace and Sabo, along with a bunch of others, attempted to take him home with them, but Kuri said… NO.

* * *

And so, Luffy was currently enjoying breakfast in bed, made by Brulee, in Kuri's room. It was nice to return to some sense of normalcy though his nightmares and terrors returned with a vengeance. He was thankful for the bandages that covered his new scar, though it was difficult to see when they had to change them.

"So, how's the waffles?" Kuri asked, pulling up a chair, "Brulee hasn't stopped cooking since you got home. She's determined to put some meat on your bones." Luffy chuckled at that and spooned another bite into his mouth.

"How do you feel today?" Kuri followed up, "Trafalgar says you can start talking quietly if you wish."

Luffy put down his fork and stared at his waffles, very still. Kuri then took away his tray and asked,

"What's wrong?"

Luffy grabbed his dry-erase board and quickly wrote, _I don't like the way I sound._

"Why?" Kuri asked as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

 _It's ugly._

"I doubt that. Come on, say a little something… for me." So, Luffy spoke, very quietly.

"O-Okay… Kuri," He murmured, his voice sounding scratchy and weak, "J-Just don't tell a-anyone else." Luffy had been practicing with Torao, but was appalled to hear what his voice sounded like. It was so… pathetic. He just knew Sabo and Ace were going to give him a hard time about it, and who would take him seriously!?

"I don't see the issue." Kuri said, "It's quiet, but still you."

"W-What? No that's not-" Kuri stopped him with a swift flick to one of his fluffy ears.

"None of that. It's… _fine_. It may sound weak now, but with time, it'll grow stronger." Luffy nodded, but wasn't convinced.

That evening, Luffy was attempting to change his bandages, but had somehow tied his hands together. He did _not_ want Kuri's help, or he would see the awful injury. Though, when he tripped over himself and collapsed into the bathtub, taking the shower curtain with him, Kuri came running.

"Luffy? Do you need some help?"

"N-No! Everything f-fine!" Luffy hurriedly assured him, "Don't come in!" At that, Kuri burst in.

"You obviously need help." Kuri said with a snicker, pulling Luffy to his feet, "Now, let me see."

Luffy then covered his neck with his arm, shaking his head vigorously. To which, Kuri grabbed his face to stop him.

"No, you'll hurt yourself doing that."

Unfortunately, Kuri was much stronger than him and sat him on the counter, moving his arm to reveal the wound. Luffy shut his eyes, ashamed and unwilling to see Kuri's reaction to proof of his own weakness.

"Luffy… open your eyes." Kuri prompted, "It's okay, you should know I won't judge." When he opened his eyes, he saw that Kuri had taken off his scarf, revealing his jagged mouth.

"K-Kuri…"

"You didn't judge me for mine, so I won't judge you for yours. Now hand over the bandages."

"Uh…" Luffy mumbled, holding up his still tied up hands, "Here." Kuri sighed and easily untangled them.

"What am I going to do with you?"

Luffy laughed and leaned forward to plop his head against the larger man's shoulder in relief. Kuri really was great.

A few minutes later, they moved to the bed where Luffy curled up in Kuri's lap so they could watch a movie. Just as Kuri was about to press start on the remote, the bedroom door was hurled off its hinges and a familiar wolf strutted in.

"Greetings, humans. I have arri- Oh." Torkai exclaimed, before stopping himself, "Am I interrupting? So sorry." Luffy laughed at Kuri's expression which showed incredible annoyance.

"Why are you in my house? How did you even get in!?"

"I forced the human guard at the entrance into submission." Torkai explained, "It was quite simple really. He was very stupid."

"Guard? Isn't that Cracker's job tonight…" Kuri mumbled. Torkai goes on,

"Anyway… Alpha Kuri, I'm here to inform you that I have decided to move in. Your pack is missing a wolf of my experience, and therefore, I have decided to assist."

Luffy stifled a second laugh as Kuri groaned and buried his face in Luffy's hair, his fluffy ears tickling the man's face. Taking them by surprise, a second wolf lept on the bed and immediately started licking Luffy's face.

"Oh, this is my daughter, Prisha. I brought her along to see the great Alpha I will be serving now."

 _Wow! What a cute little human-thing! What are you exactly?_

"This is the small omega I was telling you about."

 _Adorable! I wish to keep it. It shall be mine._

At that statement, all Luffy could see and hear was Mingo, the man's laugh reverberating through his head. Kuri noticed immediately and brushed the silver wolf off the bed and attempted to calm him down.

 _Sorry! Sorry, did not mean to scare you._ Prisha soothed, putting her snout up on the bed, _My name is Prisha, what's yours?_

"L-Luffy." He managed to get out, his breathing now starting to calm down. Torkai then moved to bat his daughter on the head with a paw.

"I apologize, Alpha Kuri, for my daughter's actions. She is young and does not possess my tact and social graces."

Kuri snorted at that but refrained from commenting.

 _May I be your friend, small omega? I can protect. I am strong warrior!_

"Uh...Kuri? S-She wants to stay. Is that okay?" Luffy asked, turning around in Kuri's lap.

"How do you know that?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

"I can hear her. Maybe because I'm part cat?"

Kuri seemed… conflicted. Torkai seemed to take his silence as confirmation.

"I'll just move my stuff into the main den."

"You have stuff!?" Kuri exclaimed.

"Ah, nothing much. Just the bones of my first kill, some pelts for winter, and a deer I brought as a peace offering." Luffy laughed at Kuri's expression of pure horror. Maybe having wolves move in would be fun!

"N-No wait-"

But it was too late and the wolves were gone.

"Why… why me…" Kuri moaned, once again using Luffy's hair as a barrier to the outside world.

"Let's watch a movie, Kuri." Luffy said with a chuckle, "Let Branch deal with the deer."

* * *

 **BRULEE'S POV**

Brulee hummed happily as she pulled up in the driveway, very pleased with herself. Not only had she managed to force Luffy to gain, like, two pounds, but she had cleaned the entire house and her kitchen was spotless.

She figured Luffy and Katakuri would be in his bedroom so she went to the kitchen to make some snacks for them (with lots of calories). What she didn't expect was the pile of bones, pelts, and a bloody deer carcass. Said carcass was held in the jaws of a massive wolf.

"Greetings, female." The wolf exclaimed, "I bring a gift to commemorate my induction into Alpha Kuri's pack. Please, feel free to dig in."

Brulee wasn't sure how to respond to that, only glancing at the smaller wolf whose tail was wagging happily.

"BROTHER!" She called, "THERE ARE WOLVES IN MY KITCHEN!"

"Deal with it, Brulee!" Katakuri responded from the other room, "I'm busy!"

"B-But… my kitchen.. It was so clean…"

"Is this not satisfactory?" The big wolf barked, "I apologize, I will go find something larger."

"NO! This-this is fine. It's fine. No more." Brulee quickly exclaimed.

"Wonderful! I will leave this with you then as I go prepare my den."

"Den? Where-" Brulee stopped short as the wolves padded away into Luffy's old room. Deciding not to question it, she turned to the carcass and sighed.

" _Why me?"_


	26. Epilogue

**Authors' Note:** Sooooooo this is the last part of Outbreak! Thank you all so much for your support! We hope you have enjoyed the story as much as we have enjoyed writing it XD While you're waiting for more from us, feel free to check out our individual accounts: **Foo - SerenSly** (I only have one story up and it's in the Harry Potter fandom but hey, if you're interested...) **Lu - rikuai12** (I write, so far only in the One Piece fandom and currently have four stories out) Thanks again and enjoy the update!

Also, if you want to see something specific within the Outbreak universe feel free to send us requests for oneshots either through a review or a private message!

 **Review Responses:**

 **L'assassin orange:** Yeah, Brulee was not pleased to have blood in her nice clean kitchen, they probably all know to avoid that room when they're all bloody. We'll get to see a little of how his voice affects his daily life in this update ;) Thank you for the review!

 **yukino76:** Yep, Luffy's going to be just fine and Torkai is _hilarious_ to write. As always, thanks for the review!

 **astrasperas:** Thanks for giving our story a chance! We're kind of sad it's over too...not to worry though, we'll eventually post more stories... sometime...we have a lot of ideas! KataLu is adorable, we definitely agree! Thank you for leaving a review :)

 **WARNINGS:**

\- massive Luffy (over)protection squad  
\- soccer...football to people outside of America  
\- last minute cameos  
\- derogatory language  
\- slight violence  
\- small amount of blood  
\- time skip

* * *

Katakuri loved going to Luffy's soccer games but despised the seats, they were just so uncomfortable. This was why he had asked Brulee to make him a seat cushion but it was unfortunately not done yet.

It had been almost exactly two years since Doflamingo's demise and things had changed in the city. For starters, Katakuri was now the sole leader of the underground which meant he also had great influence in the political scene. This was useful when they found themselves in need of new legislation regarding the rights of those who were like Luffy and still retained some of their animal anatomy. Mihawk advocated and fought hard for the bill to pass, eventually succeeding without much trouble.

They occasionally met with some...discrimination when visiting other cities but that was always quickly dealt with before Luffy was put in harm's way.

Katakuri had assimilated smaller gangs and organizations, creating a monopoly of crime that most were smart enough to either avoid or obey. That being said, he had a surprisingly pleasant relationship with the local police department as Luffy stopped by every week to deliver snacks to his grandfather and all of the officers on duty. They were working on getting him to all of the first responders, including the fire department down the road that seemed...jealous...though they wouldn't admit it.

Speaking of the police, Smoker was now the chief as Akainu had never returned from his vacation...not that anyone bothered to look for him. The man was now married to his old partner Hina, who had recovered completely from her time in a coma, and they were expecting their first child in a few months.

Katakuri's attention was drawn to the field as the two captains jogged to the center for the coin toss, one of which was Luffy sporting a grin, as usual. The kid had recovered surprisingly well considering the trauma of the event, though his voice never fully came back and, as a result, he'd learned sign language to avoid speaking whenever possible. Luffy had picked up his schooling and was on track to graduate at the end of the spring semester.

When the coin toss was over it was decided that Luffy's team, the Grand Line Pirates, would start with the ball. Luffy jogged back to his team to go over their plans one last time before the game began. Garp, who had retired from the military and now served as an advisor to the police and as the coach for the soccer team, loomed behind his grandson with his clipboard, nodding in agreement as Luffy signed to the team. Katakuri had never really enjoyed soccer but did enjoy watching Luffy have fun.

Right before the game started a few familiar faces appeared and made their way to their seats in the stands.

The first person he saw was one of Luffy's friends, the prickly one with green hair who immediately scowled upon making eye contact. The blonde one with the strange eyebrow stood next to him, likely the one responsible for the young man being there at all as Katakuri now knew just how bad the green haired one was with directions. Within seconds, Mihawk was there, smacking his student on the head with the ceremonial sword he'd taken to carrying around "just in case", as he'd put it.

He did feel sorry for the man though, as currently, the only seat available was between Akagami, who favored a large megaphone, and Crocodile, who was required to come as part of his contract underneath Katakuri. He supposed there were the seats in front of him but those were already claimed by Luffy's brothers who had gone to get snacks for the third time before the game started. The two of them were frustratingly hard to get rid of.

Speaking of Luffy's brothers, the two were on their way back, arms full of various unhealthy snacks and drinks.

"See? I told you you didn't need a burger on top of what...six or seven hotdogs now? We missed the coin toss!" Firefist whined as they settled back into their seats.

"I beg your pardon?" the other brother protested, "It was you who insisted you needed more food, you bottomless pit! You even fell asleep in the line!"

"What, really?"

"Yes, you idiot! I expect to be repaid for the amount I just spent on you."

Katakuri rolled his eyes at the brothers' antics, wanting to just focus on the game. Of course, even this was difficult as one of the other spectators, the strange blue-haired man from down the street, set off some sort of confetti cannon for apparently no reason.

As the game progressed more familiar faces appeared, including Trafalgar and the appliance repair guy...whose name escaped him, the pair choosing to sit close to the sidelines almost exactly opposite the Whitebeards who took up an entire section and were currently screaming some obnoxious cheer. The new police chief arrived soon after with his wife, Dr. Kureha, the reindeer, and the fish-guy.

"Ah, Mr. Katakuri! So wonderful to see you at this...physical sporting event!" a familiar and extremely old afroed man said in passing as he headed to his seat, "I do hope your beaver is doing well!" Suddenly, Katakuri recognized the man from the pet shop and replied,

"...it was a cat, actually…"

"Really?" the old man, Brook, exclaimed, "I could have sworn it was a beaver!" Before Katakuri could reply, the old man sauntered off to greet someone else in the crowd.

"What a strange human!" Torkai commented, "We do not usually allow elders to wander alone in our packs though…"

Katakuri did not reply, merely rolled his eyes and focused on Luffy.

Just as the cat-boy was about to score one of the members of the opposing team cut in front of him and quite obviously tripped him. Luffy went sprawling face-first in the grass, prompting a gasp of horror from both the home and visiting sides.

Katakuri could see that the kid was winded but he quickly stood when he saw the blood coming from his now split lip. He immediately wanted to do nothing less than murder the perpetrator who stood over Luffy, sneering down at him. As if that wasn't bad enough, the boy opened his mouth and promptly began to dig his own grave.

"I heard your team had some weird creature for a captain," he jeered, "seems like the rumors were true!"

It was now so quiet that everyone could hear what the brat was saying, though he probably didn't notice as he was too caught up in the moment.

"Listen up, freak! I'm aiming to go professional after this and I won't have some little kitty standing in my way!" With that said, he moved to stomp angrily on Luffy's tail with his cleats, only to stumble back as he was met with a massive, snarling wolf.

Prisha stood protectively over Luffy's prone form, not allowing her human to move. She had undergone training to be an emotional support...uh...wolf...and was very protective of Luffy. She played a major part in Katakuri allowing Luffy to return to school as she went everywhere with him. At this point, Trafalgar was sprinting onto the field, first aid kit in hand.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO LUFFY-SENPAI?!" Bartolomeo, the vice-captain, snarled, "How dare you lay a hand on such a perfect being!"

"You'd better back off, you vile troglodyte!" Cavendish...insulted?

Katakuri glanced to the other side of the field where the coach of the visiting team was frantically searching through what he knew was the emergency handbook where the Grand Line Pirates had their own section, one much larger than the others.

"You know, I've got my lighter on me…" Fire Fist said with a glint in his eyes.

"Fire Fist, no." Katakuri chided, "this is our field. We don't need to blow it up. Let Garp handle this." At least...he hoped Garp could handle it.

"Now, now boys," Garp said down on the field, "We will handle this civilly and, as we cannot afford any more legal issues this semester, legally, to avoid the suspension of the whole team." The old man then turned around, cleared his throat and yelled to the stands...or, more specifically, to Smoker, "CHIEF, YOU'D BETTER GET OVER HERE AND ARREST THIS PUNK FOR DARING TO LAY A HAND ON MY PRECIOUS GRANDSON!"

Katakuri watched, amused, as Smoker sunk lower in his seat obviously not wanting to get involved.

The coach of the other team then sprinted out onto the field and proceeded to bow and apologize profusely to Garp as Luffy was carried off of the field by one of his teammates even as he rapidly signed something that Katakuri couldn't make out from his seat.

Surprising everyone, the second Luffy was set on the bench, he jumped to his feet, pushing Trafalgar out of the way and making his way back to the goal. Before reaching the goal, he stopped in front of the camera and signed,

 _It's fine. I'm okay. Relax._

At that, everyone visibly relaxed and subtly put away their various weapons.

Prisha padded alongside Luffy as he approached his now thoroughly scolded attacker. When he got close enough, the other team's coach turned his apologies from Garp to Luffy, bowing as he exclaimed,

"I'm so sorry! He's just a freshman and I assumed he'd read the supplementary material concerning your team! Please accept our humblest apologies and know that he will be severely punished! In fact, he's being benched for the rest of this game and the next three as well as whatever other punishment the school may deem necessary-" Luffy cut the man off with a raised hand and waved his vice-captain over. He signed what he wanted to say and Bartolomeo frowned,

"Luffy-senpai...I think you're being too kind…" he protested but sighed as Luffy gestured for him to translate, "He believes there is no need for such harsh punishment and understands that emotions run high during important games like this one. Luffy-senpai accepts your apology and wishes to continue the game with no hard feelings."

With that, Luffy smiled and held out his hand to the other player, who reluctantly shook it before retreating back behind his coach. Finally, Katakuri felt that he could sit back down and relax. For a minute he'd worried that Luffy would react much more negatively to the attack, it would have been understandable considering the trauma he'd endured.

The game went on with no other incidents and Luffy's team came out the victor, as expected. Though Katakuri was disappointed he didn't get to personally confront the brat who'd injured Luffy…

" _Oh well...there's a raid planned for tomorrow. I'll be able to kill my fair share of people then."_

Soon enough, everyone filed out of the stadium, saying goodbye to Luffy and congratulating him on his win. Eventually, it was only him, Luffy, the wolves, and their bodyguards. As they walked to the car, Katakuri asked,

"How's the lip?" Naturally, Trafalgar had treated it before sending Luffy back out onto the field but he still had to ask.

 _It's fine. Torao's a good doctor._ Luffy replied easily, smiling up at Katakuri. It felt good to have Luffy so happy again after the events two years ago. They were, of course working on his confidence with talking in public, but Katakuri didn't push him, especially since Luffy _did_ speak, only to him and when they were alone. He was quite proud of the fact that the boy trusted him so much.

"Good, I'm glad," Katakuri said, just before Luffy tackled him in a tight hug that he returned without hesitation.

"Can we go home now?" Luffy asked softly, though he didn't relinquish his hold.

"Of course," Katakuri replied, "let's go home."

* * *

 **THE END.**


End file.
